RADb

RADb
Name	RADb
Type	Database
Founded	1994
Founders	Merit Network
Location	Ann Arbor, Michigan
Services	Internet routing registry, WHOIS
Website	(omitted)

RADb RADb is an Internet Routing Registry that catalogs routing policy and route-object information for Autonomous Systems and IP address prefixes. It is used by network operators, Internet Exchange Points, regional registries, and researchers to coordinate Border Gateway Protocol configurations, troubleshoot reachability, and analyze routing policies. RADb’s records are referenced in operational tools and academic studies examining Internet topology, security incidents, and prefix provenance.

Overview

RADb provides a public repository of routing policy records describing routing relationships among Autonomous Systems, IP prefixes, and routing objects. Operators enter entries that can specify origin Autonomous Systems, route sets, and peering relationships, enabling tools such as policy generators, route filters, and WHOIS clients to interpret intended routing. The registry interfaces with network engineering platforms used by organizations like Cisco Systems, Juniper Networks, Hewlett-Packard, AT&T, and Level 3 Communications for configuration validation, and it is frequently cited in analyses by institutions such as University of California, Berkeley, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Carnegie Mellon University.

History and Development

RADb was created in the context of early Internet routing coordination efforts led by academic and nonprofit entities. It traces its origin to initiatives associated with MERIT Network and the original Internet routing research community, overlapping with operational practice developed at organizations like Internet Assigned Numbers Authority and Cisco Systems engineering groups. Over time, RADb’s datasets have been adopted by regional Internet registries including RIPE NCC, ARIN, APNIC, LACNIC, and AFRINIC as a complementary source to registration data. Key milestones include adoption by large transit providers such as Sprint Corporation and MCI Communications in the late 1990s, integration into route-monitoring projects like RouteViews and RIPE RIS, and scrutiny during incidents involving prefix hijacking that involved operators including Bharti Airtel and WorldCom.

Data Content and Structure

RADb stores structured objects that represent routing intent: route objects that map prefixes to origin Autonomous System numbers, aut-num objects that describe Autonomous System policies, and route-set objects that aggregate prefixes or AS numbers. The schema aligns with conventions used in Internet Routing Registries and is interoperable with RPSL (Routing Policy Specification Language) implementations adopted by software projects such as IETF standards and tools created by teams at NLnet Labs or OpenBSD communities. Each record includes attributes—origin, maintainer, announced status, and remarks—that reference entities like network operators (NTT Communications, Deutsche Telekom), Internet Exchange Points such as DE-CIX and LINX, and large content providers like Google and Facebook.

Access and Tools

Access to RADb occurs through WHOIS queries, web interfaces, and programmatic APIs used by network automation systems. Network engineers use client software such as Quagga-derived suites, the FRRouting project, and vendor-specific tools from Arista Networks to validate filters against RADb entries. Monitoring platforms such as BGPmon, RIPEstat, and CAIDA ingest RADb to correlate routing changes with registered intent. Security tooling from organizations like SRI International and research groups at University of Maryland leverages RADb during forensic analysis of routing incidents.

Governance and Curation

RADb operates with a maintainers model where authenticated contacts manage records via maintainer objects and cryptographic authentication mechanisms that have evolved over time. Its administrative model intersects with community governance seen in bodies such as IETF working groups, and it is influenced by the operational policies of regional Internet registries and incumbent network operators like Verizon Communications and NTT. Curation is largely decentralized: individual network operators and ISPs create and amend records, with procedural controls defined by maintainers, abuse contacts, and operator agreements reflecting practices used at exchanges like AMS-IX and registries such as ARIN.

Usage and Impact

RADb underpins operational security and coordination for Internet routing by enabling automated filter generation, route validation, and incident response. Researchers use RADb content when mapping Internet topology, attributing hijacks, and modeling Autonomous System relationships in work published by groups at Cornell University, ETH Zurich, Princeton University, and University of Tokyo. Industry bodies and network operators rely on RADb-derived filters to reduce accidental route propagation, augmenting protections such as Resource Public Key Infrastructure implemented by IETF and coordinated by organizations like ICANN and Verisign.

Limitations and Criticisms

Critiques of RADb focus on data accuracy, stale entries, and the voluntary nature of record creation. Analyses by academic teams at University College London and University of Twente have shown inconsistencies between registry records and observed BGP announcements, complicating automated trust. The absence of universal cryptographic enforcement prior to wide RPKI adoption and operational divergence among major carriers such as British Telecom and Orange S.A. have limited RADb’s effectiveness as a sole source of truth. Privacy and policy concerns arise when maintainers expose contact information or when inaccurate records persist, an issue discussed in forums involving IETF and regional policy meetings at RIPE NCC and ARIN.

Category:Internet infrastructure