Create the First ROLE and MNTNER Objects

What is a ROLE object?

A role object should describe a business function or operational unit, not an individual person, and contains information about a technical or administrative contact that are responsible for the object where it is referenced. Each role object has a unique NIC handle ("nic-hdl:").

What is a NIC handle?

NIC handles are unique identifiers of roles.

It is basically the role's unique ID and it helps to keep different roles with the same name apart from each other.

Whenever a role object is referenced in another object they are referenced by their NIC handle ("nic-hdl:") and not by their name.

What is a MNTNER (pronounced "maintainer")?

All objects in the RIPE Database must be protected using mntner objects. A mntner object specifies authentication information required to authorise creation, deletion or modification of the objects protected by the mntner.

The value of the "mnt-by" attribute is the name of the maintainer (mntner) object that will protect the object.

To create a role object and a mntner object at the same time, go to the web application (opens new window).

For more information about maintainers and hierarchical authorisation, please see ['Authorisation Model'].

To find out how to create role and mntner objects, and to protect objects using your mntner, see the e-learning course (opens new window).