Cogent Communications - IP Allocation Policy Overview Cogent efficiently allocates IP resources to customers based primarily on RFC7020, RFC3177 and the guidelines of the five Regional Internet Registries. In cooperation with our customers, Cogent makes the most efficient use of allocated IP resources. RIR policies promote conservation and deter wasteful use or stockpiling of IP resources. Cogent is required to comply with these policies set forth by each Regional Internet Registry. Cogent encourages and supports customers who require global IP resources for their networks, however, it will examine all requests for IP resources with care to validate the use of the existing IP resources that are allocated. In certain limited situations, Cogent may request a customer to redesign their network before allocating new IP resources to the customer if the existing IP resources are sufficient for customer requirements. Cogent reserves the right to deny new requests for IP resources for accounts with overdue invoices, previously unpaid balances or unresolved abuse complaints. Cogent must answer to the Regional Internet Registries for their allocations and demonstrate efficient utilization. As a result, customers are required to provide the same information to Cogent that Cogent provides to the Regional Internet Registry. Customers demonstrate efficient usage of IP resources by filling out an IP Questionnaire to document their needs. This document shows, in detail, their plan for using IP resources over the next 3 to 12 months. ARIN/RIPE and IP Resources ARIN is the American Registry for Internet Numbers and RIPE is the Reseaux IP Europeens. They are tasked with stewardship of allocations of IP and AS number resources to their members in the North American and Caribbean region and European region as well as the Middle East, Central Asia, and Northern Africa. Every member has to demonstrate to their respective RIR that they have efficiently utilized their existing IP resources. Efficient utilization is shown by collecting information from each customer on how they are implementing their network. ARIN's rules read, in part: Please note that allocations are based on need, not solely on a predicted customer base. Allocations are based on a customer's utilization history, projected 12-month requirement, and other information ARIN deems necessary. Therefore, initial allocations may be relatively small. Likewise, justification for subsequent address blocks will be based on utilization verification supplied to ARIN in the form of reassignment information. The most important factor in evaluating requests for additional IP resources is the current utilization of IP resources by the requesting member as well as its downstream customers. It is important that ISPs require their downstream customers to follow the efficient utilization practices described in this and other ARIN guidelines. Please refer to ARIN's website for further information. RIPE has very similar policies to those of ARIN concerning allocation to your downstream customers. RIPE states: It is recommended that LIRs make use of a slow-start mechanism when making a sub-allocation for a downstream end user. There are two main advantages to this: the LIR can ensure that the IP resources it sub-allocates are used efficiently; also the LIR can determine the ability of the downstream organization to operate within the policies set by the RIPE community. Customer Equipment Guidelines Retail/Corporate * Customers classed as "Retail" are End-Users. A typical example would be a law firm with offices in a multi-tenant office building. * A connection sold as "Retail" are only to be used for Internet access for company employees and for company business. Web hosting your own corporate sites is OK, web hosting those of someone else is not. * Reselling IP services on a Retail connection is grounds for cancellation. Wholesale/NetCentric * Customers classed as "Wholesale" are those that Resell IP Services of any type on the line. Typical examples of this would be a colocation, streaming, CDN or webhosting company. * All Resellers are required to use a routing capable device to connect to Cogent. Colocation Customers * At Cogent owned and operated data centers, a Layer-2 device is permitted to be used on the connection and the block of IP addresses will be directly connected to the interface. No routing is required. Portability of Cogent IP Resources * All IP resources allocated by Cogent are non-portable. If a customer cancels service with Cogent, the IP resources allocated to the customer must be returned to Cogent at the actual service termination date. All reassignment information or Cogent IP resources will also be removed from our RWHOIS database. Cogent recommends that a customer take steps to transition off of Cogent IP resources prior to service termination. General Conditions for Allocations - IPv4 * Each customer port/LAG bundle will be allocated a /31 for the IPv4 interconnect with Cogent. * Customers must use at least 50% of their initial allocation immediately (defined as same day, with a one-week window for unexpected equipment issues or unusual circumstances). A utilization rate of less than 50% indicates the customer's immediate needs are for a smaller block. For example, if a /26 (64 total IPs) is assigned, Cogent should be able to ping (or otherwise verify usage) 31 of them one week after assigning them. * Customers must use 80% of the block within three months. If the 80% mark is not reached, Cogent reserves the right to withdraw the block and reassign one of a more appropriate size. * Customers must use 80% of the last-assigned block and 100% of all previous blocks before Cogent will issue additional IPs. The existing blocks of IPs must respond to ping (or be otherwise be documented), and existing hosts must have forward and reverse DNS. Optimally, customers will receive a block adequate for their documented needs for the next 180 days. * Reassignment information of customer allocations are sub-delegated via RWHOIS. Cogent's RWHOIS server is located at rwhois.cogentco.com, port 4321. * Cogent follows ARIN's Number Resource Policy Manual Section 3.2 for distributed information service showing re-assignment information by running a RWHOIS server at rwhois.cogentco.com on port 4321 https://www.arin.net/participate/policy/nrpm/#3-2-distributed-information-service-use-requirements General Conditions for Allocations - IPv6 * Each customer port/LAG bundle will be allocated a /127 for the IPv6 interconnect with Cogent. * If you need an ipv6 routable block larger than a /48, you will need to contact your Regional Internet Registry and obtain a IPv6 resources from the respective RIR. * Customer blocks are sub-delegated to customers via RWHOIS. Cogent's RWHOIS server is located at rwhois.cogentco.com, port 4321. Detailed Documentation Requirements For Any IP resource request beyond the IP resource allocations for the interconnects to the Cogent network, please contact your Cogent account manager. For IP resources to be used for your network, Cogent requires customers to list [IPQ question 8] subnets and the numbers of servers/hosts in them for immediate, six month, and one year requirements. You should also include aggregate blocks that you will be using for customers, but do not detail individual customers or hosts here – Cogent does not expect you to know at any given time what every single customer has going on, provided you gave them an appropriately sized block following the current practice of slow-start and 90-day models. In most circumstances, Cogent will allocate IP resources based on one year requirements. NAT, Firewalls, and Private IPs If a proxy firewall or other means that prevents Internet traffic from bidirectionally connecting to internal LAN hosts will be used, the machines behind the "filter" are considered hosts that do not require globally routable IP addresses and do not need to be included in the map. A good example of this would be customer internal PCs and printers - these do not require and for security reasons should not have globally routed IP addresses. In this instance, the customer should use an RFC-specified Private Network (see RFC-1918) for internal networking. Cogent will assign an appropriately sized net block according to the customer's needs for publicly visible servers in the firewall DMZ. If you need to use NAT (1:1 IP mapping of internal to external addresses) instead of PAT (1 external IP used by many internal ones), please explain why in IPQ. Downstream Customer IP Needs For IP resources to be used for your downstream customer networks, Cogent requires our customers to list subnets and the associated downstream customer names on the IPQ. This is analogous to the ARIN requirement of having customers show up in SWIP/RWHOIS, but we have elected to use a simpler requirement due to the typically smaller size of customers obtaining IPs. No specific details are required as to customer host counts in the IPQ itself; it is assumed that you have enacted similar verification processes on and have policies in place to ensure correct block selection for your downstream customers. If not, future allocations will be affected. Before issuing IP resources Cogent reserves the right to ask for documentation provided by your customer to justify assignment of a particular block to them. This is done to spot-check your own internal allocation policies and provide guidance when needed, as you work your way up to receiving your own allocation from your Regional Internet Registry. Reassignments Cogent operates an RWHOIS server to document our reassignments. If your company runs an RWHOIS server to document reassignments to your end users, Cogent has the ability to redirect queries to your servers. If you wish to take advantage of this, please email the relevant information to our Customer Support department. Web-hosting Services If you will be doing IP-based web-hosting, ARIN requires you provide Cogent with what they term your "technical justification" for doing so, as well as a list of domains and URLs. Name-based web-hosting is the preferred way (whenever possible) as it utilizes significantly fewer addresses, but for a variety of reasons it is not always possible. If you cannot use it, please concisely explain why. URLs provided as documentation must resolve with both forward and reverse DNS. View Cogent forms at http://www.cogentco.com/en/Guide/ http://www.cogentco.com/Guide/IP_Allocation_Policy.txt IP Allocation Policy v4.1 02/09/2024