About "European", "Russian", "Ukrainian" and Other IPs

About European, Russian, Ukrainian and Other IPs

We frequently receive questions regarding the IP addresses used in our locations—Dutch, Ukrainian, Russian, and so forth. Let’s try to clarify this issue.

To begin with, let’s break down the organizational component. Worldwide, there are several regions, each governed by a RIR (Regional Internet Registry). These are non-profit organizations responsible for the allocation and management of address space, statistical research, allocation of autonomous system numbers, and so on. In Europe, the RIR functions are carried out by RIPE NCC.

Blocks of IP addresses are allocated to local internet registries (LIR), which, in turn, register fragments of the issued address space and subsequently use the addresses in their infrastructure or pass them on for client use. At the time of registration before use, the LIR must enter into the WHOIS database information about what and where a particular block of IP addresses will be used.

Thus, to obtain objective information about the region where a particular IP address is used, one should only utilize the RIPE WHOIS database, paying attention to the country field.

From a technical perspective, the situation appears somewhat differently. There are no specific technical restrictions on using a particular block of IP addresses within the internet. With the correct description of the routing policy in the RIR databases, one could use, for example, IP networks issued to a Ukrainian LIR in another country. This is exactly what we do—our LIR is a Ukrainian company; however, we use certain IPv4 and IPv6 networks in other locations, such as our facility in the Netherlands. Despite the lack of technical necessity to adjust the country field in this case, we have done so. Let’s consider why it is essential to make such changes and ensure the accuracy of information.

There are several companies that are not directly related to RIR and provide IP geolocation services, in other words—offer information on where a device with a specific IP is physically located. To form such databases, both the databases of regional internet registries and proprietary data that refine information are used. One of the most well-known geoip data providers is MaxMind, which is used by many websites providing information about the geographical affiliation of IP addresses to specific locations. The documentation on the MaxMind site clearly states that geoip data is updated periodically, so one should take into account a certain lag in the database refresh.

In other words, while transferring an IP block to another location may take anywhere from a few hours up to 1-2 days, updating information in other sources may require more time—ranging from 7 days. Just a few days ago, we sent clarifications to MaxMind to ensure that services like 2ip.ru display accurate information.

In conclusion, how can one determine where a server with a specific IP is currently located? A few actions must be taken. First, check the information in RIPE WHOIS and pay attention to the country line. Second, verify the routing—there’s an excellent service, bgp.he.net, where you can request current routing information for a specific IP and then check data about the autonomous system announcing the block of addresses. The third option is to perform a traceroute from different locations to the desired address and validate the data obtained from the previous methods. For this purpose, you can use, for example, our looking glass servers.