The general rule of thumb for ARIN IP space is that if you need IP
independence, you can't have it. <g>
You've basically got to have around 16 /24's utilized before ARIN will
do anything for you. Once you're at this point, they'll give you a /20
to renumber everyone, but will reserve a contiguous /19 for you if you
can justify that you'll use it within the next 3-6 months.
It's a real fun Catch-22. 
James Laszko
Pipeline Communications, Inc.
james@pcipros.com
If you're multi-homed, however, the minimum allocation is a /22, not a
/20.
                                -Bill
In a message written on Fri, Nov 12, 2004 at 10:35:38AM -0800, James Laszko wrote:
You've basically got to have around 16 /24's utilized before ARIN will
do anything for you. Once you're at this point, they'll give you a /20
to renumber everyone, but will reserve a contiguous /19 for you if you
can justify that you'll use it within the next 3-6 months.
Note, if you are multi-homed the prefix length is a /22.
The general rule of thumb for ARIN IP space is that if you need IP
independence, you can't have it. <g>
This is false. If you can properly justify your need, then, you can
easily obtain addresses from ARIN. However, there is a process and
documentation is required. You can't simply say "I need 4096
addresses, gimme" and expect to get a good result.
I have made numerous applications to ARIN for allocations of varying
sizes. I have had to explain and document things for them on each
and every one, but, I have never been unable to get the space I needed
from them.
I will admit that in the past, ARIN has been more than a little difficult
to deal with, but, in the last 3 years, that has changes significantly.
The current ARIN staff is courteous, professional, and tries very hard
to do the right thing. There is a significant public policy process
and ARIN is very good about accepting and acting on feedback from the
community. In the past, I was one of ARIN's bigest critics. Since then,
they've actually listened and implemented many of my suggestions, and,
I, for one, think they've done an admirable job with a difficult task.
You've basically got to have around 16 /24's utilized before ARIN will
do anything for you. Once you're at this point, they'll give you a /20
to renumber everyone, but will reserve a contiguous /19 for you if you
can justify that you'll use it within the next 3-6 months.
This is also completely false. Prior to the enactment of policies 2002-3
and 2003-15 (enacted at the same time), the MAU (minimum allocation unit)
from ARIN was a /20(v4) or a /32(v6). Today, the v4 MAU is a /22. The
v6 MAU is still a /32. Also, if you are running an exchange point, you
can get a /24 from the exchange-point reservation. I think there are
a couple of other micro-allocation exceptions, but, for general purposes,
a /22 is the MAU. To get a /22, you simply need to demonstrate that you
have at least 50% utilization of a /22. To get more space, you have to
show 80% utilization of all previously allocated/assigned space.
It's a real fun Catch-22.
It's not a catch-22 at all. You submit a form with proper documentation
and justification. They ask you some questions, you submit the answers and
any additional supporting documentation. If you have fully justified and
explained your need, you receive the address space. On average, this has
taken me about 2 weeks. In optimum cases, I've gone from application to
addresses in as little as 3 days, and, in a worst case, it once took me
almost 6 weeks. I've never been unable to get addresses.
(BTW, before anyone goes off on the but you're a large provider... tangent,
no, I'm not. I haven't done any ISP transactions with ARIN in the last
4 years. All of my transactions since have been direct end-user assignments
of /20 and longer prefixes)
Owen
Yep, I blinked while going through the small town of ARIN Policy and missed it
ARIN Number Resource Policy Manual, 4.2.2.2: "When requesting a /22, demonstrate the efficient utilization of a minimum contiguous or noncontiguous /23 (two /24s) from an upstream."
Leo Bicknell wrote:
From: Owen DeLong
{SNIP}
It's not a catch-22 at all. You submit a form with proper documentation
and justification. They ask you some questions, you submit the answers
and any additional supporting documentation. If you have fully justified
explained your need, you receive the address space.
I have to second this, it really is a simple process. I continue to hear
horror stories from people who BELIEVE that it is hard to get PI space.
Read the policy, submit the documentation that they ask for and you will do
fine. In general I really like the fear factor. Honestly I think it helps
keep overall utilization of v4 space down 
-Scott
I'm still not exactly clear on the definition of 'efficient utilization' --- in other places it' mentions 80%, but that's only as ISP allocation and request for additional space...
Anyone have a pointer as to the ARIN official definition of this language?
I certainly agree, I've never had any problems dealing with ARIN. The documentation burden and paperwork burden is extremely low too compared to many other processes I go through daily.
The original intent of 2002-3 : Micro-Assignments for Multihomed Networks was
to give a /24 to any party with an ASN, as it was possible to become an
AS without having the ability to get your own address space.
In the year+ before it was approved last Fall
in Chicago, this was watered down to a /22. (FWIW, I opposed that.)
However, to become an AS means that you have to be multi homed, i.e., have
a connection to 2 or more providers. Since it is not hard to get a /24 from a provider
if you are paying for a connection with them, then my understanding of the intent was
that any ASN with two /24's should be able to get a /22. (I.e., for the microassignment,
having an ASN was the crucial factor.) This is not the same as requesting an assignment for
a /20 or smaller prefix, where different rules apply.
If you are an ASN with two address blocks, I think that you qualify and should apply.
Regards
Marshall Eubanks
Actually, that's not true. The requirement for a direct end-user assignment
of any size includes multihoming. Since RFC-compliant multihoming requires
an ASN (consistent origin AS), one of the metrics used to determine if an
organization is multihomed is the possession of (or application for) an ASN.
This applies to any prefix size. Initially, there were going to be separate
more stringent rules for obtaining a /24 microallocation, but, in the
process of watering 2002-3 down to a /22, most of these additional
requirements were also removed. The resulting policy is, in fact, essentially
identical to the current policy except for the minimum allocation unit, and,
the specification that /22 and /21 assignments and allocations will be taken
from a different address pool than the larger ones.
Owen
It's not quite that simple. Suppose you're multihomed, have an ASN, and
have /24's from several providers. But, you run all your hosts (perhaps
several hundred or more) behind NAT except for a handful of necessarily
public IP ones (DNS servers, web servers, mail servers, etc.). Say you've
been given 3 /24's from 3 providers, but you only actually use about a /27
of public IPs. My understanding of current rules is that:
1) You don't qualify for PI space from ARIN (unless you're in the
ARIN controlled regions of Africa).
2) 2 of your providers have violated the rules by automatically handing
you a /24 with your leased lines as this is space you don't need and have
no immediate intention of renumbering into.
So, somehow its better that you announce 3 PA /24's into the global table
instead of the 1 PI /24 you can't get. Hmmm
2) 2 of your providers have violated the rules by automatically handing
you a /24 with your leased lines as this is space you don't need and have
no immediate intention of renumbering into.
So, somehow its better that you announce 3 PA /24's into the global table
instead of the 1 PI /24 you can't get. Hmmm
You know who to blame when sub-optimal results occur when people break the
rules -- the people who broke the rules.
DS
Hrm.. I thought if you were NOT multihomed that it was really hard to
qualify to begin with.. (that is, they insisted you pester your ISP
instead.)
Then again, I know four different people who deal with ARIN regularly
and have four different interpretations of the rules which seem to
vary with each application they submit...
Hello Owen;
The original intent was to make it possible for multi-homed ASN to get a minimum
address block (a /24), without any other particular qualifications. There was considerable
debate, as you would expect on a proposal that took 3 Public Policy Meetings
and 14 months to get through. As approved, it says merely :
While that is what was voted on at the public policy meeting, the BOD and
the AC have the ability to do some modifications as long as the preserve
the intent of the consensus obtained from the meeting and the PPML
discussions. They are allowed to incorporate feedback from the last call,
for example. What section 4.2.2.2 has is what was adopted by the ARIN BOD
after positive recommendation from the AC. That is how the policy process
worked at the time. I believe the new policy process works much the same
way for that portion.
Owen