Hi Laurent, That is correct. As a LIR you are allowed to provide your customers IP addresses. Direct Assignment Users are not allowed to give IP addresses to other companies. The IP addresses provided via a Direct Assignment Users agreement should be seen as Provider Independent IP space (Similar as if an end-customer would request that via a LIR). The big difference is that RIPE is acting as the 'LIR' and deals with the end-customer directly. To make things even more interesting ... there are some specific rules that don't apply to LIR's that you would encounter as a Direct End-User. Such as having a requirement for IPv6 multi-homing in order to be eligible for an IPv6 - prefix. As a LIR, you don't have any multi-homing requirement and you can request a IPv6 prefix without questions asked. Also as a LIR, you get a /21 to start with, and you can work with the hostmasters on how to use them yourself or assign them to your end-customers. As a Direct End-customer, you only deal with the hostmasters once. And you get assigned what you require at this moment (up to 3 months.) In case you don't require to provide IP addresses to other companies and all required IP addresses are for your infrastructure only, you could go to either a LIR or RIPE and ask them for PI space. If you intent to hand out IP addresses to other companies / end-users.. You should become a LIR. Hope this helps. Regards, Erik Bais Erik Bais | A2B Internet BV | +31 299 707 115 ( Office ) | ebais@a2b-internet.com<mailto:ebais@a2b-internet.com> |