Merit is pleased to announce that the RADB Internet Routing Registry database service has begun production use of the next-generation Routing Policy Specification Language (RPSL). After several weeks of beta trials, the service is production quality and Merit strongly recommends that users begin migration to the new database language. The new RPSL database contains both native RPSL objects, as well as objects mirrored in near real-time from the RIPE-181 database servers. RADB users can now query RPSL objects by issuing the following query: whois -h whois-rpsl.radb.net Objects may be submitted by sending mail to: auto-rpsl@radb.net Users may also use the Web-based GUI interface at: http://www.radb.net/irrj.html RPSL RFCs and Internet-Drafts are available through: http://www.ietf.org/html.charters/rps-charter.html IMPORTANT: --------- During the months of September and October, Merit will continue to operate both RIPE-181 and RPSL RADB database servers. As of November 1, 1999, the whois.radb.net and auto-dbm@radb.net services will default to the RPSL database. This means that whois queries to whois.radb.net after November 1 will return RPSL objects. RIPE-181 queries will still be possible after November 1 via whois queries to whois-ripe181.radb.net. RIPE-181 submissions can continue to be sent via email to auto-ripe181@radb.net. RIPE-181 submissions made between 11/1/1999 and 1/1/2000 will be visible on whois.radb.net as RIPE-181 objects converted to RPSL. The objects will be converted every five minutes from the whois-ripe181.radb.net database. Availability of the database in both syntax languages will ease the transition to RPSL by allowing users to view RIPE-181 objects converted to RPSL. After January 1, 2000, RIPE-181 object submissions will no longer be accepted. DATE CHANGE ---- ------ 9/1/1999 RADB begins production RPSL service and enters the final stage of RPSL transition. RPSL queries are available from whois-rpsl.radb.net and submissions may be sent to auto-rpsl@radb.net. RIPE-181 and RPSL databases operate in parallel. whois.radb.net and auto-dbm@radb.net default to RIPE-181. 11/1/1999 Default whois.radb.net and auto-dbm@radb.net addresses change to RPSL database. RIPE-181 queries still possible via whois-ripe181.radb.net and RIPE-181 submissions still possible via email to auto-ripe181@radb.net. auto-ripe181@radb.net submissions will be auto-converted to RPSL and mirrored to the RPSL database every 5 minutes. Therefore, auto-converted RIPE-181 submissions will be visible on whois.radb.net and corresponding RPSL entries may be overwritten. 1/1/2000 RIPE-181 queries and sumbmissions are no longer accepted and the RADB RPSL transition is complete. Comments or questions about the transition are welcome; please send email to db-admin@radb.net. --Gerald Winters Merit, IRRd Team