A single-screen primer on addresses, the market and procedures.
How addresses are allocated and who oversees them
The world is split into five Regional Internet Registries (RIR). RIPE NCC serves Europe, the Middle East and parts of Central Asia. RIRs allocate and maintain IPv4/IPv6 resources, keep databases and handle transfers. Blocks are assigned via LIR members, making the process verifiable and legally sound. IPv4 exhaustion cemented secondary transfers and transparent leasing. Registries don’t set prices but record who holds a block and who is responsible for it. Accurate records and policy compliance underpin subnet reputation and fast connectivity. We manage paperwork and database sync so your block is accepted without extra questions.
What “/24”, “/23”, “/22” really mean
“/24” leaves 8 bits for hosts – 256 addresses. “/23” is 512, “/22” is 1 024. “/27” (32 addresses) suits small hosting or VPN. ISPs usually accept nothing more specific than “/24” in the global table; smaller prefixes are filtered. Hence we offer /24+ for cross-DC announcements and smaller blocks for on-prem hosting with us. Need VLSM? We’ll split blocks internally without conflicts.
Scarcity, supply and what sets the price
RIR pools are empty, so supply comes from previously allocated blocks. Price depends on subnet size, usage history, abuse lists and holder’s geography. Clean blocks connect faster and face fewer filters. Leasing lets you scale IP pools without lengthy transfer deals. We keep a reserve across sites to shorten lead times. For long-term independence we can plan your migration to own blocks – always factoring in TCO.
Block ownership and proving announce rights
WHOIS lists the resource holder and contacts. External announcements need a Letter of Authorisation (LoA). We issue LoA for /24+ stating your ASN, sites and term. Simultaneously we tidy route/route6 objects and IRR policy, and publish ROAs in RPKI. Consistency across WHOIS, IRR and LoA speeds up connectivity and raises security confidence.
Reverse zones and their impact on mail & reputation
PTR records map IPs to names; many services see valid rDNS as entry-level hygiene. It’s critical for mail scoring. We delegate zones, align naming and can enable DNSSEC. Geo-redundant NS keep rDNS up even during local outages. Templates for bulk projects and check-lists help avoid blocks and ease incident response.
Announcing a block and passing upstream filters
For the global table announce /24 or larger – smaller prefixes are filtered. We prepare IRR objects, ROAs and communities per-upstream. GRE tunnels to your site and announcements via our ASN are available. We document every change and maintain aggregation for stable, predictable routing.
