[Apologies for duplicate emails] Dear Colleagues, As of 1 January 2009, the RIPE NCC will begin assigning 32-bit (or four-byte) Autonomous System Numbers (ASNs) as default. This is in accordance with a common policy agreed on in all Regional Internet Registry (RIR) communities and described in the RIPE Document ripe-389: "Autonomous System (AS) Number Assignment Policies and Procedures". This document can be found online at: http://www.ripe.net/ripe/docs/ripe-389.html#19 16-bit ASNs and 32-bit ASNs are interoperable. Those who have previously received a 16-bit ASN will not need to renumber. It is possible, however, that some devices, either in your network or the network of your upstream provider, will not be compatible with 32-bit ASNs. It is therefore vital that network operators be aware of the new assignment policy and of their own network's status in terms of 32-bit ASN compatibility. Further information about requesting 16-bit ASNs and 32-bit ASNs can be found at: http://www.ripe.net/news/asn-32-guide.html Kind regards, Andrew de la Haye Chief Operations Officer RIPE NCC