Understanding Customer Delegation Actions in the ARIN Registry

By John Sweeting – Chief Experience Officer, ARIN

When managing IP address space, organizations often need to delegate portions of their allocations to other parties. ARIN supports this through different types of actions: Simple Reassignments, Detailed Reassignments, and Reallocations. While they may seem similar, each method has distinct purposes and limitations. This blog breaks down what each action means, how it’s used, and what rights and responsibilities come with it.

Simple Reassignments

A simple reassignment allows a direct registrant of IP addresses to show that a portion of their address space is being used by another party. These are commonly used to demonstrate utilization for justification purposes. However, they do not establish any relationship between ARIN and the receiving organization.

Key characteristics:

• The organization name in the reassignment is entered as free text and is not vetted by ARIN.
• The listed name typically refers to a customer of the direct registrant.
• The receiving organization cannot manage the reassigned block.
• The direct registrant retains full control and can modify or delete the record at any time.

In short, a simple reassignment makes public that another entity is using the IP space — but does not give that entity any rights or management capability over that reassignment.

Detailed Reassignments

A detailed reassignment provides more flexibility and allows the receiving organization to manage the reassigned IP addresses directly. These are appropriate when the receiving organization requires more autonomy.

Key characteristics:

• Requires an Organization Identifier (Org ID) and a Registration Services Agreement (RSA) with ARIN.
• Allows the receiving organization to add contacts and manage the reassigned IP addresses in ARIN Online.
• The receiving organization can interact with ARIN but lacks the ability to reassign space further.
• Management of the record is shared between the direct registrant and the receiving organization, allowing both parties to add, remove, or modify Internet Routing Registry (IRR) objects and reverse DNS.
• The direct registrant retains the ability to reclaim the reassignment at any time.

Detailed reassignments strike a balance between delegation and control — useful when a customer needs to manage their IP addresses, but full reallocation isn’t appropriate.

Reallocations

A reallocation is a formal delegation of IP address space to another organization for independent management. This method is appropriate for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) or organizations that will further delegate address space to their customers.

Key characteristics:

• Requires the receiving organization to have an Org ID and an RSA.
• The receiving organization gets full management rights and can create reallocation/reassignment records to other organizations.
• The IP addresses are fully delegated to the receiving organization, and they are responsible for their use.
• Reallocations are appropriate when the receiving party will manage and subdelegate IP address space.
• Management of the record is shared between the direct registrant and the receiving organization, allowing both parties to add, remove, or modify IRR objects and reverse DNS.
• The direct registrant retains the ability to reclaim the reallocation at any time.

Reallocations create a fully independent relationship between ARIN and the receiving organization.

Conclusion

Whether you opt for simple reassignments, detailed reassignments, or reallocations, each method offers unique benefits tailored to different organizational needs. As you navigate these actions, remember the importance of maintaining accurate records and updating information in the ARIN database to ensure efficient and secure network management and global Internet operations.

For more detailed guidance on customer delegations, visit our Reporting Reassignments page. If you have any questions or need help with any of these processes, please contact ARIN’s Registration Services Department by creating an Ask ARIN ticket from within your ARIN Online account or by calling our Help Desk at +1 703.227.0660, Monday through Friday, 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM ET.

Q&A

Q: Does a simple reassignment give the receiving organization a relationship with ARIN?
A: No. ARIN does not recognize or engage with organizations listed in a simple reassignment. The direct registrant retains full control over the record.

Q: Can a detailed reassignment or reallocation be edited by the receiving organization?
A: Yes. Both allow the receiving organization to manage the reassigned/reallocated block and update contacts and registration details, but only reallocations allow for further delegation.

Q: Why would I choose a simple reassignment over the others?
A: Use simple reassignments when you need to show a block is in use (e.g., for ARIN justification) but don’t want or need the receiving organization to have management capabilities.

Q: What if my downstream customer needs to manage their own records?
A: Use a detailed reassignment if they only need to manage that specific block. Use a reallocation if they will also need to assign space to other organizations.

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