









      RIPE Database Template for Networks and Persons


                         Anne Lord
                      Marten Terpstra

                   Document ID: ripe-119
                    Obsoletes: ripe-050



                          ABSTRACT

          This paper describes the  format  and  syntax
     for   the   representation  for  Internet  network
     numbers and associated contact persons in the RIPE
     database.



1.  Introduction

The features described in this document will  be  usable  in
the  RIPE  database at a time specified in [3]. Please refer
to this document for more details.

RIPE (Reseaux IP Europeens)  coordinates  TCP/IP  networking
for the research community in Europe.

One of the activities of RIPE is to maintain a  database  of
European  IP networks, DNS domains and their contact persons
along with various other kinds of network management  infor-
mation.   This  database  content  is public information for
agreed  Internet  operational   purposes.    This   supports
NICs/NOCs  all  over  Europe  and  beyond  to  perform their
respective tasks.

This document describes the format and syntax  for  Internet
network   number  assignment  information  and  the  closely
related contact person information.

Each object in the database describes a single entity in the
real  world.  This  basic  principle  means that information
about  that  entity  should  only  be  represented  in   the
corresponding  database  object and not be repeated in other
objects.

Objects are described by attributes  value  pairs,  one  per
line.   Objects  are  separated by empty lines. An attribute
that consists of multiple lines should  have  the  attribute



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name  repeated on consecutive lines.  The information stored
about network 192.87.45.0 consists  of  three  objects,  one
network object and two person objects and looks like this:



    inetnum:   192.87.45.0
    netname:   RIPE-NCC
    descr:     RIPE Network Coordination Centre
    descr:     Amsterdam, Netherlands
    country:   NL
    admin-c:   Daniel Karrenberg
    tech-c:    Marten Terpstra
    rev-srv:   ns.ripe.net
    rev-srv:   ns.eu.net
    notify:    ops@ripe.net
    changed:   tony@ripe.net 940110
    source:    RIPE

    person:    Daniel Karrenberg
    address:   RIPE Network Coordination Centre (NCC)
    address:   Kruislaan 409
    address:   NL-1098 SJ Amsterdam
    address:   Netherlands
    phone:     +31 20 592 5065
    fax-no:    +31 20 592 5090
    e-mail:    dfk@ripe.net
    nic-hdl:   DK58
    changed:   ripe-dbm@ripe.net 920826
    source:    RIPE

    person:    Marten Terpstra
    address:   RIPE Network Coordination Centre (NCC)
    address:   PRIDE Project
    address:   Kruislaan 409
    address:   NL-1098 SJ Amsterdam
    address:   Netherlands
    phone:     +31 20 592 5064
    fax-no:    +31 20 592 5090
    e-mail:    Marten.Terpstra@ripe.net
    nic-hdl:   MT2
    notify:    marten@ripe.net
    changed:   marten@ripe.net 931230
    source:    RIPE


1.1.  How to access the Database ?

The database  is  public  information  for  agreed  Internet
operational purposes.  It can be accessed via a whois server
on host whois.ripe.net (tcp port 43). The whole database  is
also  available  via anonymous ftp from ftp.ripe.net as file
ripe.db in directory ripe/dbase. There is also a  compressed
version of the database available in that same directory, as



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well as a version of the database  in  which  the  different
objects have been collected in different files. This "split"
version of the database can be  found  in  the  subdirectory
split.

1.2.  How to submit information to the database ?

Database updates should be sent via electronic mail to


        auto-dbm@ripe.net


Below you find two templates, one for  network  objects  and
one  for  person objects.  Be sure to supply a person object
for each contact person mentioned in  the  network  objects.
Of  course  you  need  not supply person objects if they are
already present in the database and the information is still
correct.

Updates sent in should only contain the objects that need to
be  updated.  The  mail  is automatically parsed by software
that cannot intercept any messages that may be in the  mail.
If  an  update needs human intervention, or you have general
questions  on  the  procedures,  please   refer   to   ripe-
dbm@ripe.net.

Currently no special  authorisation  is  needed  to  create,
modify  or  delete  objects that describe persons or address
space. However extensive audit trails  of  all  changes  are
being kept.

2.  Format and syntax of the network number object

The network number object is often referred to as the  inet-
num  object,  because the line containing the network number
information has the name inetnum. In a short summary  below,
the  attribute  column  indicates  the name of the attribute
inside the object, the second column indicates whether  this
attribute  is  optional  or  mandatory, and the third column
indicates whether this attribute can appear more  than  once
per object:

     attribute   optional/mandatory  multiple/single

     inetnum:    mandatory           single
     netname:    mandatory           single
     descr:      mandatory           multiple
     country:    mandatory           single
     admin-c:    mandatory           multiple
     tech-c:     mandatory           multiple
     rev-srv:    optional            multiple
     remarks:    optional            multiple
     notify:     optional            multiple



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     mnt-by:     optional            mutliple
     changed:    mandatory           multiple
     source:     mandatory           single


Below each of these attributes and their format  and  syntax
are described in more detail, and examples are given.


inetnum: The inetnum attribute  contains  the  range  of  IP
         address space this object gives information on. The
         syntax of this attribute can be either of the  fol-
         lowing:

                 inetnum: 192.87.45.0

         This indicates one class C  network  number,  which
         covers   IP   address   space   192.87.45.0  up  to
         192.87.45.255. The network number can be a class A,
         class B or class C network number.

                 inetnum: 192.87.44.0 - 192.87.45.0

         This indicates a  block  of  (2)  class  C  network
         numbers,  which covers IP address space 192.87.44.0
         up to 192.87.45.255. The spaces between the  begin-
         ning address, the dash ("-") and the end address of
         this classful range must be present. The range  can
         consist of any block of class A, class B or class C
         network numbers.

                 inetnum: 192.87.45.0 > 192.87.45.255

         This notation represents a classless  range  of  IP
         address space, and does not make any assumptions on
         the class (A, B or C) of  this  specific  piece  of
         address  space.  See  [1]  for  more details of the
         various  classful  versus  classless   IP   address
         representations.  Where  this  above example covers
         exactly the same address space as the first  class-
         ful class C example, it is only in this syntax pos-
         sible to specify any other range of  address  space
         that  is not aligned on the conventional class A, B
         or C boundaries.  Again,  the  spaces  between  the
         start  address, the greater-than sign (">") and the
         end address must be present.

         Please also note that in the dotted  quad  notation
         of   IP  addresses,  all  trailing  zeros  must  be
         present.

         Status: mandatory, only one line allowed

netname: The netname attribute specifies  a  name  for  this



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         range  of  IP address space. It should be a reason-
         ably  descriptive  name,  consisting  of  capitals,
         dashes ("-") and digits, but must start with a cap-
         ital. The network name used to  be  a  unique  name
         identifying  the  address  space.  Nowadays  it  is
         mainly used to guard against  errors  by  requiring
         both  the  address  and the name for certain opera-
         tions.  You will most likely never find  this  name
         anywhere  else  than  in  a  database like the RIPE
         database. An example:

                 netname: RIPE-NCC

         Status: mandatory, only one line allowed

descr:   The descr attribute consists of a short description
         of the organisation and location where this address
         space is used. The description  can  have  multiple
         lines.  It need not contain the full postal address
         as this is required in the  contact  person  object
         (see  further  in  this  document).   Free  text is
         allowed.  An example:

                 descr:     RIPE Network Coordination Centre
                 descr:     Amsterdam, Netherlands

         Status: mandatory, multiple lines allowed

country: The country attribute gives the two letter ISO 3166
         country code for the country where the organisation
         is located. An up-to-date version of ISO  3166  can
         be    obtained    using    anonymous    ftp    from
         ftp.ripe.net:iso3166-codes.  In  cases  where   the
         address  space  is used across national boundaries,
         it should contain  the  most  appropriate  country,
         usually  based on the address of the administrative
         contact person. The format is two letter  uppercase
         country code. An example:

                 country:   NL

         Status: mandatory, only one line allowed

admin-c: The admin-c attribute contains the name or the  NIC
         handle  of the administrative contact person. Whev-
         erever possible, this should be a person that works
         at  the  organisation  the  address  space has been
         allocated to. A NIC handle (if known) is preferred.
         Please  do  not use formal titles like 'Dr', 'Prof'
         or 'Sir'. Do not add full stops  between  names  or
         initials.  This value should be exactly the same as
         the attribute in the  person  object  (see  further
         below). More than one administrative contact person
         can  be  specified,   by   simply   repeating   the



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         attribute.An  example  of  both  the NIC handle and
         normal name use:

                 admin-c:  Daniel Karrenberg
         or (preferred)
                 admin-c:  DK58

         Status: mandatory, multiple lines allowed

tech-c:  The tech-c attribute contains the name or  the  NIC
         handle  of the technical contact person. The format
         and syntax is the same  as  the  admin-c  attribute
         above.

         Status: mandatory, multiple lines allowed

rev-srv: The rev-srv attribute contains the fully  qualified
         domain  name  of  the  machine  that runs a reverse
         domain name service  for  the  address  space.   If
         there  are  multiple  reverse name servers for this
         address space, they should all be specified on dif-
         ferent  lines.  Only  one  hostname  is allowed per
         line. An example:

                 rev-srv:  ns.ripe.net
                 rev-srv:  ns.eu.net

         Status: optional, multiple lines allowed

remarks: The remarks attribute contains  any  remarks  about
         this  address space that cannot be expressed in any
         of the other attributes.  Although  multiple  lines
         are  allowed,  it should be only be used if it pro-
         vides extra information to users of  the  database,
         and  usage  should be kept to a minimum. For format
         is like the description attribute  free  text.   An
         example:

                 remarks:   will be returned to NIC 950101

         Status: optional, multiple lines allowed

notify:  The notify attribute contains an email  address  to
         which  notifications  of  changes  to  this  object
         should be send. This can be useful if more than one
         person  manage  the  same  object.  A more detailed
         description can be found in [2]. The format is  one
         RFC822  electronic  mail address per line. Although
         multiple lines are allowed, usage should be kept to
         a minimum. An example:

                 notify:    operations@ripe.net

         Status: optional, multiple lines allowed



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mnt-by:  The  maintainer  attribute  contains  a  registered
         maintainer name. This attribute is used for author-
         isation  of  database  update   requests.   It   is
         described  in  more  detail in [2]. The format is a
         registered maintainer name. An example:

                 mnt-by: RIPE-DBM

         Status: optional, multiple lines allowed

changed: The changed field contains information on who  last
         changed this object, and when this change was made.
         The format is an RFC 822 electronic mail address of
         the  person  who  made  the change, and the date of
         change in YYMMDD format. Multiple lines are allowed
         and shows the update history of an object. An exam-
         ple:

                 changed:    marten@ripe.net 940328

         Status: mandatory, multiple lines allowed

source:  The source contains a source  of  information.  For
         the  RIPE  database,  the  value  should  always be
         "RIPE". This field is used to combine and  exchange
         information between various database sources around
         the world. Fixed value:

                 source:     RIPE

         Status: mandatory, only  one  line  allowed,  fixed
         value

3.  Format and syntax of the person object

The person object contains details  for  the  technical  and
administrative  contact  persons  specified  in  the inetnum
object (and in other objects not  described  in  this  docu-
ment). A short form overview of the person object is:

     attribute   optional/mandatory  multiple/single

     person:     mandatory           single
     address:    mandatory           multiple
     phone:      mandatory           multiple
     fax-no:     optional            multiple
     e-mail:     optional            multiple
     nic-hdl:    optional            single
     remarks:    optional            multiple
     notify:     optional            multiple
     mnt-by:     optional            mutliple
     changed:    mandatory           multiple
     source:     mandatory           single




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Below each of these attributes and their format  and  syntax
are described in more detail, and examples are given.

person:  The person attribute  contains  the  full  name  as
         specified  as a technical or administrative contact
         in another object. The name must be written identi-
         cally  to  those  given  in  the tech-c and admin-c
         attribute of for example the  inetnum  object  (but
         must  NOT  be the NIC handle). Again here, official
         titles like 'Dr', 'Prof' or  'Sir'  should  not  be
         used. An example:

                 person:   Daniel Karrenberg

         Status: mandatory, only one line allowed

address: The address  attribute  contains  the  full  postal
         address  of this person.  It should be written down
         as you would for ordinary  postal  mail  using  one
         line for each part of the address. An example:

                 address:  RIPE Network Coordination Centre
                 address:  Kruislaan 409
                 address:  NL-1098 SJ Amsterdam
                 address:  The Netherlands

         Status: mandatory, multiple lines allowed

phone:   The phone attribute contains the  telephone  number
         for  this  person.  It  has  the  following format:
         +<country code> <area code>  <phone  number>.   The
         <phone  number>  can be split with spaces to denote
         exchange and  subscriber  number.   Most  countries
         should  drop  a  leading zero when specifying their
         area code. Multiple phone numbers should be  speci-
         fied  in order of preference on different lines. An
         extension reachable only through an operator can be
         specified  by adding "ext." and the phone extension
         to the phone number. An example:

                 phone:    +31 20 592 5065
                 phone:    +31 20 592 5000 ext. 5089

         Status: mandatory, multiple lines allowed

fax-no:  The fax-no attribute contains  the  telefax  number
         for  this  person.  It  has  the same format as the
         phone number explained above. An example:

                 fax-no:   +31 20 592 5090


e-mail:  The e-mail attribute contains the  electronic  mail
         address  for this person if applicable. This should



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         be a valid RFC 822 electronic mail address, prefer-
         ably in full domain syntax. An example:

                 e-mail:  Daniel.Karrenberg@ripe.net

         Status: optional, multiple lines allowed

nic-hdl: The  nic-hdl  attribute  contains  the   officially
         assigned NIC handle for this person, if applicable.
         NIC handles are  unique  identifiers  assigned  and
         used  by  the  InterNIC  to  unambiguously refer to
         Internet people. An example:

                 nic-hdl: DK58

         Status: optional, only one line allowed


         The rest of the attributes  in  the  person  object
         have  the same syntax and meaning as in the inetnum
         object, but are repeated for completeness.



remarks: The remarks attribute contains  any  remarks  about
         this  address space that cannot be expressed in any
         of the other attributes.  Although  multiple  lines
         are  allowed,  it should be only be used if it pro-
         vides extra information to users of  the  database,
         and  usage  should be kept to a minimum. For format
         is like the description attribute  free  text.   An
         example:

                 remarks:   will be returned to NIC 950101

         Status: optional, multiple lines allowed

notify:  The notify attribute contains an email  address  to
         which  notifications  of  changes  to  this  object
         should be send. This can be useful if more than one
         person  manage  the  same  object.  A more detailed
         description can be found in [2]. The format is  one
         RFC822  electronic  mail address per line. Although
         multiple lines are allowed, usage should be kept to
         a minimum. An example:

                 notify:    operations@ripe.net

         Status: optional, multiple lines allowed

mnt-by:  The mnt-by attribute contains  a  registered  main-
         tainer  name. This attribute is used for authorisa-
         tion of database update requests. It  is  described
         in  more  detail in [2]. The format is a registered



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         maintainer name. An example:

                 maintainer: RIPE-DBM

         Status: optional, multiple lines allowed

changed: The changed field contains information on who  last
         changed this object, and when this change was made.
         The format is an RFC 822 electronic mail address of
         the  person  who  made  the change, and the date of
         change in YYMMDD format. Multiple lines are allowed
         and shows the update history of an object. An exam-
         ple:

                 changed:    marten@ripe.net 940328

         Status: mandatory, multiple lines allowed

source:  The source contains a source  of  information.  For
         the  RIPE  database,  the  value  should  always be
         "RIPE". This field is used to combine and  exchange
         information between various database sources around
         the world. Fixed value:

                 source:     RIPE

         Status: mandatory, only  one  line  allowed,  fixed
         value

4.  References


[1]  Bates, T., Karrenberg, D., Terpstra, M.,  "Support  for
     Classless  Internet  Addresses  in  the RIPE Database",
     ripe-121, October 1994.

[2]  Karrenberg, D., Terpstra, M., "Authorisation and Notif-
     ication  of  Changes  in  the RIPE Database", ripe-120,
     October 1994.

[3]  Bates, T., Karrenberg, D., Terpstra, M., "RIPE Database
     Transition Plan", ripe-123, October 1994.















ripe-119.txt                                   October, 1994
