Axel Pawlik, Managing Director of the RIPE NCC (Regional Internet Registry responsible for the management of Internet number resources in EMEA and parts of Central Asia) highlights the importance of ensuring ICT vendors offer four-byte AS Number compatibility.

Resellers can often feel stuck between a rock and hard place as they try to manage customer needs and vendor requirements. This could become an even more difficult balancing act in the coming months as the transition to four-byte (sometimes called 32-bit) Autonomous System (AS) Numbers approaches. An Autonomous System (AS) is a collection of networks or routers that are administered as a group, share a common set of routing policies, and are defined by a unique AS Number. AS Numbers are a vital part of the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), the Internet's core routing system that manages the Internet's ‘connectedness'. They are often used to identify external relationships, set routing attributes, and manage traffic.

Massive Internet growth has depleted the existing pool of two-byte AS Numbers. There are 65,536 of these numbers in total and it is predicted that all these will have been allocated by early 2011. As a result, engineers have expanded the AS Number space from two bytes to four bytes, increasing the number of available AS Numbers to more than four billion.

From 1st January 2009, the world's five Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) will start issuing the longer four-byte AS Numbers as the default, in line with a globally agreed policy. Many routers need to be upgraded to recognise the expanded format. Without timely support from vendors, network operators, resellers and end users may find their routers and network administration systems are unable to handle the expanded four-byte AS Number format.

How do you know if this affects you? The first step for resellers is to check whether the routers being supplied by their IT vendor are compatible with four-byte AS Numbers. This can be done by simply looking at the software specifications of the router or by running a quick test to configure one of their 4-bytes peers. If the routers you are offering your customers offer four-byte AS Number functionality, all that is required is a software update. However, if the hardware vendor does not support four-byte AS Numbers, the technology should be replaced, possibly from a new supplier.

How will this affect the resellers? If a reseller's product offering is not compatible with the new AS Numbers, the reseller risks providing customers with technology that will not meet their most basic needs. This could result in unhappy end users and customers going elsewhere to obtain technology that will enable them to run their business. Resellers are viewed as a source of reliable information by their customers. The relationship is based on trust in expert knowledge. Such trust can be easily broken, especially if resellers are not aware of this issue and supply their customers with inadequate technology. This could lead to confused and angry end users who will begin to look elsewhere for advice, products and services.

In addition to the risk posed to customer relationships, AS Numbers also pose a threat to resellers' ability to trade online. If routers cannot recognise the longer AS Numbers it may impact online sales due to routing and networking problems. This risks alienating potential new customers, as well a threatening the loyalty of existing relationships. Clearly, failing to plan for the change in AS Number distribution on 1st January 2009 has the potential to have a major negative impact on many in the IT industry.

In order to avoid these issues, it is vital that the work of upgrading begins immediately. Preparation to date has been inadequate. Vendors are being strongly urged to begin upgrading their routers without delay to avoid routing problems. The RIRs are also encouraging resellers and the broader IT industry to take this issue seriously, as it could have a considerable effect on their business. Resellers are advised to check their product offerings for AS Number compatibility and, where necessary, discuss upgrade plans with IT vendors. They can also encourage vendors to make plans for router upgrades in the immediate future.

Although there is limited awareness of the approaching deadline for AS Numbers in the IT industry, there is still time for the necessary upgrades to be made. However, if the industry continues to ignore this deadline, there will be serious implications for many businesses. Resellers are in a unique position to utilise their relationships with IT vendors to bring about the necessary changes.