The IRR Landscape: Data Quality - the Good, the Bad, and the Outdated

• IRR data quality assessed via freshness, DFZ alignment, RPKI conflicts. • Distinguish authoritative RIR-operated IRRs vs third-party registries. • Proxy metrics used because no ground truth exists for operator intent. • Findings show third-party IRRs drift, outdated entries, impacting routing policy accuracy. • BCOP proposal to phase out non-RIR IRRs at IXP route servers discussed. • Cleanup and standardization essential for reliable routing and RPKI validation.

Article Summaries:

• The second article in the IRR landscape series examines the quality of routing data stored in Internet Route Registries (IRRs). It introduces proxy metrics-update frequency, Default‑Free‑Zone (DFZ) alignment, and RPKI conflicts-to gauge how current and accurate IRR objects are, focusing on IPv4 ROUTE entries. The piece distinguishes between authoritative RIR‑operated databases and third‑party registries, noting that the former generally maintain higher data reliability due to stricter validation. The analysis underscores the need for cleanup as third‑party IRRs drift, a concern tied to the BCOP proposal to phase out non‑RIR IRRs at IXP route servers.

Sources:

• https://labs.ripe.net/author/tobias-striffler/the-irr-landscape-data-quality-the-good-the-bad-and-the-outdated/