Is Your Network Ready for the Future? Getting Involved with ARIN and Preparing for IPv6

Submitted by Brett on Mon, 11/02/2009 - 9:05am
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Richard Jimmerson, ARIN

[Ed. note: This article is part of NTEN's Member Appreciation Month spectacular. The most popular pieces will be featured in our newsletter. You can read all the details here.]

Do you have a website? A large network? Does your organization use IP addresses? The current system for numbering IP addresses (IPv4) will be depleted within the next two years. Now is the time to learn about the next generation of the Internet Protocol – IPv6 – and the steps you need to take to be prepared.

The American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN) is the nonprofit corporation that manages the distribution of Internet number resources – IPv4, IPv6, and Autonomous System Numbers (ASNs). Did you know that YOU have a direct say in how ARIN manages those numbers? Your participation becomes increasingly important as IPv4 grows scarce and organizations of all sizes take on the task of adding IPv6 to their networks.

ARIN, serving Canada, many Caribbean and North Atlantic islands, and the United States, is one of five Regional Internet Registries, or RIRs. All RIRs are nonprofit, membership-based, community-regulated organizations that distribute resources, facilitate the policy development process, distribute information, and provide education.

ARIN community members dictate the policies used to distribute IP addresses in ARIN’s region. The ARIN community includes anyone with an interest in Internet number resources, from individual Internet users and network engineers to senior policy advisors and government representatives. They come from government agencies, large and small corporations, universities, nonprofit organizations, and a host of other entities.

Policy development is open and transparent. Anyone may participate in the process – you do not have to be a member, nor do you have to become a member to participate. Each participant has an equal say in all policy decisions – all posts to the Public Policy Mailing List and all contributions at in-person Public Policy Meetings are taken into consideration as part of finding overall community consensus.

There are several ways to become involved in ARIN, including attending meetings, voicing opinions on policy proposals online and in person, developing policy proposals, and running for election.

    Attend Public Policy and Members Meetings

    ARIN holds two meetings in various locations throughout the ARIN region each year. Meetings provide an opportunity for the Internet community to engage in policy discussions, network with colleagues, and attend workshops and tutorials. Meetings also include events for first-time attendees, social activities, and chances to meet one-on-one with Registration Services and Billing Services staff as well as Board and Advisory Council members.

    Remote participation is also available via webcast and jabber chatrooms, and ARIN offers a Fellowship Program to bring one individual from each of the three sectors within ARIN's service area (Canada, the Caribbean and North Atlantic Islands, and the United States and Outlying Areas) to attend each meeting.

    ARIN’s next meeting will be in Toronto, Ontario, Canada from 18-21 April 2010.

    Subscribe to ARIN Mailing Lists

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      This public forum is used to raise and discuss issues surrounding existing and proposed policies. The PPML is an integral part of ARIN’s Policy Developement Process. Opinions expressed here are reviewed to determine consensus for a policy proposal.

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      This read-only list provides information on issues affecting the community including elections, meetings, policy updates, training opportunities, and other ARIN events.

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      This members-only list provides a forum for members to discuss ARIN-specific issues such as fee structures and internal policies.

    Participate in Policy Discussions

    Subscribe to the Public Policy Mailing List and join the discussions. Recent policy discussions have included IPv4 and IPv6 allocations and assignments, micro-allocations, transfers of IP address space, and privacy.

    Develop a Policy Proposal

    Anyone may propose a new policy or revise an existing policy by submitting a proposal. See http://www.arin.net/policy for more information on ARIN’s policy development process, including the current Number Resource Policy Manual and Policy Development Process.

    Become an ARIN Member and Participating in Elections

    Membership is open to everyone by submitting an application and paying an annual fee. Entities that receive IP address space allocations directly from ARIN are automatically accorded membership. For further information see https://www.arin.net/participate/membership/.

    Participate in Global Mailing List Discussions

    The Number Resource Organization maintains two mailing lists of its own and posts information for global mailing lists hosted by the RIRs. See http://www.nro.net/interact for more information and subscription information.

Participation is critical to the continued success of the bottom-up policy development process as well as the sustained growth of the Internet. Participation helps ensure that the policies in place accurately reflect the needs of the entire community, allowing organizations to prepare for the future in ways that are most convenient and beneficial to them.

By staying actively involved, participants can propose policies that will benefit their organizations, voice their opinions on proposals they find helpful or harmful, and network with industry colleagues to discuss issues and needs in the ARIN region that may require future action.