RADB Fee Structure ------------------ Since 1995 Merit Network, Inc., has operated the RADB Internet Routing Registry as a free service to the community. Initial funding for the service came from the National Science Foundation as part of the Routing Arbiter project. In recent years, donations from a number of commercial Internet providers provided continued support for RADB operations. As Internet Routing Registry technology has matured, the RADB service has experienced explosive growth. Today, the RADB database handles well over a million queries a day from several thousand unique Internet end-sites. This growth in RADB usage, including a dramatically increased volume of email and telephone calls to the RADB help desk, has placed significant demands on RADB staff and equipment resources. In an effort to maintain the high level of RADB service as well as encourage the migration to a distributed database, Merit has implemented the following RADB fee structure: Beginning November 1, 1999, Merit Network, Inc., will begin charging RADB users a $200 yearly fee per maintainer object registered in the RADB Internet Routing Registry database. Credit card payment must be made by all RADB maintainer object owners within 60 days. Unpaid maintainer objects and all related objects will be disabled from the registry. Internet providers may register via the web by reading and accepting the Internet Routing Registry Maintainer Object Agreement, <https://www.radb.net/radb/agreement.html> and then by supplying the appropriate payment information. IMPORTANT: The registration fee for Internet providers PEERING with Route Server Next Generation <http://www.rsng.net> machines at the PAIX, Mae-East, Mae-West, AADS and PacBell exchange points is included as part of the RSNG service at these exchanges. Providers peering with the RSNG route servers at one or more of these five exchange points do *NOT* need to submit a $200 payment for any maintainer objects registered with their autonomous system number in the RADB. Alternatives to Registering in the RADB --------------------------------------- As an alternative to the RADB, Internet providers are welcome to maintain their own local registry. Several groups, including Merit Network, have recently developed RPSL-capable Internet Routing Registry database servers. These *FREELY* available IRR server daemons, including IRRd, provide a simple mechanism for providers to maintain a mirror of Internet registry data and a local repository of customer routing information. As part of the transition to RPSL and RPS-DIST, Merit now strongly encourages RADB users to begin operating their own local routing registries. Merit will continue to freely mirror and permit mirroring by other local ISP registries. For more information on running your own IRR registry, see: http://www.irrd.net http://www.ripe.net/db http://www.isi.edu/ra As an alternative to the RADB or running a local registry, RADB users may also choose to register in several alternative IRR databases. Several providers, including Cable & Wireless and Bell Canada, offer IRR registration service for their downstream customers. For a complete list of participating Internet Routing Registries, please see http://www.radb.net/list.html. More Information ---------------- For more information, please see the RADB web page at http://www.radb.net Or feel free to send email to db-admin@radb.net -- Craig Labovitz (425) 605-4296 (office) (425) 936-7329 (fax)