Internet network operators' groups (NOGs) are informal, country-based, or regional groups that exist to provide forums for Internet network operators to discuss matters of mutual interest, usually through a combination of mailing lists and annual conferences. Although these groups have no formal power, their members are typically influential members of the Internet service provider (ISP), Internet exchange point (IXP), regional Internet registry (RIR), operational security community, Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) operations, Domain Name System (DNS) and root zone operations, and other network operations communities, and discussions within these groups are often influential in the overall process of ensuring the Internet remains operational, robust, secure, and stable. They also allow networking professionals and other members of the research and technical communities to update each other on their work, share news and updates, exchange best practices, discuss new technologies or protocols, teach and learn from each other, network with other members of the community, and discuss current network- and Internet-related issues and challenges.
APNIC is the regional Internet address registry (RIR) for the Asia–Pacific region. It is one of the world's five RIRs and is part of the Number Resource Organization (NRO).
The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) is a standards organization that oversees global IP address allocation, autonomous system number allocation, root zone management in the Domain Name System (DNS), media types, and other Internet Protocol–related symbols and Internet numbers.
Réseaux IP Européens is a forum open to all parties with an interest in the technical development of the Internet. The RIPE community's objective is to ensure that the administrative and technical coordination necessary to maintain and develop the Internet continues. It is not a standards body like the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and does not deal with domain names like ICANN.
A regional Internet registry (RIR) is an organization that manages the allocation and registration of Internet number resources within a region of the world. Internet number resources include IP addresses and autonomous system (AS) numbers.
AFRINIC (African Network Information Centre) is the regional Internet registry (RIR) for Africa. Its headquarters are in Ebene, Mauritius.
An autonomous system (AS) is a collection of connected Internet Protocol (IP) routing prefixes under the control of one or more network operators on behalf of a single administrative entity or domain, that presents a common and clearly defined routing policy to the Internet. Each AS is assigned an autonomous system number (ASN), for use in Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) routing. Autonomous System Numbers are assigned to Local Internet Registries (LIRs) and end-user organizations by their respective Regional Internet Registries (RIRs), which in turn receive blocks of ASNs for reassignment from the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). The IANA also maintains a registry of ASNs which are reserved for private use.
The North American Network Operators' Group (NANOG) is a forum for the coordination and dissemination of information to backbone/enterprise networking technologies and operational practices. It runs meetings, talks, surveys, and a mailing list for Internet service providers. The main method of communication is the NANOG mailing list, a free mailing list to which anyone may subscribe or post.
Internet exchange points are common grounds of IP networking, allowing participant Internet service providers (ISPs) to exchange data destined for their respective networks. IXPs are generally located at places with preexisting connections to multiple distinct networks, i.e., datacenters, and operate physical infrastructure (switches) to connect their participants. Organizationally, most IXPs are each independent not-for-profit associations of their constituent participating networks. The primary alternative to IXPs is private peering, where ISPs directly connect their networks.
The Toronto Internet Exchange Community (TorIX) is a not-for-profit Internet Exchange Point (IXP) located in a carrier hotel at 151 Front Street West, Equinix's TR2 data centre at 45 Parliament Street and 905 King Street West in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. As of March 2021, TorIX has 259 unique autonomous systems representing 285 peer connections and peak traffic rates of 1.344 Tbps, making it the largest IXP in Canada. According to Wikipedia's List of Internet Exchange Points by Size, TorIX is the 16th largest IXP in the world in numbers of peers, and 17th in the world in traffic averages. The Exchange is organized and run by industry professionals in voluntary capacity.
Internet governance consists of a system of laws, rules, policies and practices that dictate how its board members manage and oversee the affairs of any internet related-regulatory body. This article describes how the Internet was and is currently governed, some inherent controversies, and ongoing debates regarding how and why the Internet should or should not be governed in the future.
Netnod AB is a private limited company based in Stockholm, Sweden, that operates Internet exchange points and manages one of the thirteen root name servers for the Domain Name System (DNS). It also distributes the official Swedish time through the Network Time Protocol (NTP). It is fully owned by the nonprofit foundation TU-stiftelsen / TU-foundation.
Packet Clearing House (PCH) is an international organization responsible for providing operational support and security to critical Internet infrastructure, including Internet exchange points and the core of the Domain Name System. The organization also works in the areas of cybersecurity coordination, regulatory policy and Internet governance.
The Commercial Internet eXchange (CIX) was an early interexchange point that allowed the free exchange of TCP/IP traffic, including commercial traffic, between ISPs. It was an important initial effort toward creating the commercial Internet that we know today.
MSK-IX is an Internet eXchange Point (IXP) with headquarters in Moscow, Russia. With over 549 connected networks and 3,37 Tbps of peak traffic, MSK-IX is one of the world's largest IXPs. According to the Internet Exchange Report by Hurricane Electric Internet Services, MSK-IX is the second in Russia and is one of the seven largest in the world by the numbers of members.
IPv4 address exhaustion is the depletion of the pool of unallocated IPv4 addresses. Because the original Internet architecture had fewer than 4.3 billion addresses available, depletion has been anticipated since the late 1980s when the Internet started experiencing dramatic growth. This depletion is one of the reasons for the development and deployment of its successor protocol, IPv6. IPv4 and IPv6 coexist on the Internet.
Hurricane Electric is a global Internet service provider offering Internet transit, tools, and network applications, as well as data center colocation and hosting services at one location in San Jose, California and two locations in Fremont, California, where the company is based.
UKNOF was an open forum for the exchange of operational and technical information for Internet network operators in the United Kingdom.
The TREX Regional Exchanges Oy (TREX) operates an Internet exchange point in Tampere, Finland. TREX was established in 2002 and traffic on its first switch started in 2003. TREX was preceded by some local private peering arrangements between its initial members since the 1990s. TREX is a member of the European Internet Exchange Association.
France-IX is a Paris-based Internet exchange point (IXP) founded in June 2010 as a membership organisation. As of 21 July 2021 it interconnects more than 496 members, making it the largest IXP in France.
Bevil Wooding is a Trinidadian technologist and development strategist who is the Chief Knowledge Officer at Congress WBN, a UK-registered charity with operations in over 120 countries. He is known for his work in the field of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in the Caribbean. In 2010, he was named by ICANN as one of the Trusted Community Representatives for the Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) root. Wooding advocates for developing states and emerging economies to create policies, build infrastructure, and leverage human resource capacity for technology-enabled development. He has been described as "a visionary who believes that the Caribbean Economy can be enhanced through ICTs and Internet development.”