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Access Port Managers (APMs)

Each entity connected to the GARR Network has its own local manager, the APM (Access Port Manager), which manages the connection with the GARR network and is the technical reference person at the GARR for its establishment.

Who is the APM: definition

An Access Port Manager (APM) is the technical reference to the GARR of the entire site belonging to a body authorized to access the GARR Network.

The APM is the only technical contact point between the site it belongs to and the Operative and Application Services that are an integral part of the GARR Network, such as:

  •  Network Operation Center (GARR-NOC)
  •  Computer Emergency Response Team (GARR-CERT)
  •  Local Internet Registry (GARR-LIR)
  •  GARR Domain Names Maintainer (GARR-NIC)
  •  GARR News Service (GARR-NEWS)
  •  GARR Mirror Service (GARR-MIRROR)

Technical qualifications of an APM

The APM, with the possible support of colleagues and/or collaborators, must possess some basic technical knowledge sufficient to perform directly the requested role. If necessary the APM, under its own responsibility, can collaborate with managers of other services operating within its own site.

In particular, the APM:

  •  must be able to access the access router of your site in a simple and privileged way to the GARR network;
  •  must be aware of the basics of IP routing;
  •  must be able to configure at least static routes and filters on your router;
  •  must be able to perform simple functionality checks of its interconnection equipment at GARR;
  •  must possess the basic knowledge on the interconnection hardware to GARR installed on its site;
  •  must know the basic principles of security in network services;
  •  must be able to perform ordinary operations on the configuration of Domain Name Servers (DNS);
  •  must know the basic principles of operation of the e-mail service and be able to intervene on the configurations of the e-mail servers of your site.

Duties of an APM towards GARR

The GARR indicates some behavioral rules to ensure that the APM can effectively carry out its activities and actively cooperate in the proper functioning of the network. In particular, the APM is required to:

  •  be aware of the technical procedures relating to the operational services provided by the GARR network and illustrated on the respective GARR websites (in particular those of GARR-NOC www.noc.garr.it and GARR-CERT www.cert.garr.it);
  •  view the technical documentation made available on the GARR websites;
  •  in the event of an emergency and the impossibility of making himself available for extraordinary events, report to the GARR Directorate, in agreement with the APA, at least one of his substitutes;
  •  keep updated the information related to his networks and domain so that the databases involved are always up-to-date and consistent with the existing one;
  •  participate in the technical meeting days proposed by GARR;
  •  check any ticket issued by GARR-NOC for interruptions on the backbone, from GARR-CERT for security issues and any other service of the GARR Network, and disclose such information internally;
  •  enable the e-mail address apm@domain for him/her, preferably corresponding to an internal mailing list including his/her own collaborators;
  •  enable on the router access to the GARR network the non-privileged password, filters and IP services required by GARR-NOC as documented on the GARR-NOC website;
  •  interact with the GARR Directorate (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - ​​www.garr.it) to keep updated information about himself, such as name, phone, address, e-mail (apm@domain);
  •  interact with the GARR NOC (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - ​​www.noc.garr.it) for:
    • reports of malfunctions;
    • definition of the routing during the activation phase of the site or for request of variations of the same;
    • notifications of scheduled interruptions of the network border router;
    • request for more general technical information on the GARR network;
    • possible assignment of a private AS number.
  •  interact with the GARR NIC (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - ​​www.nic.garr.it) for:
    • requesting a domain name that requires registration at the Registry (ccTDL ".it"), EURID (cc TDL ".eu") and the GARR database for the site;
    • request for a secondary name server service for your domain names;
    • changes relating to registration with the Registry, EURID and the GARR database of their domain names.
  •  interact with the GARR LIR (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - ​​www.lir.garr.it) for:
    • requesting new network blocks (IPv4 and IPv6) for the site;
    • requesting for a secondary name server service for the resolution of the networks;
    • changes relating to the registration on the RIPE and GARR databases of their IPv4 and IPv6 networks.
  •  interact with the GARR CSIRT (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - ​​www.cert.garr.it) for:
    • reporting of network security issues;
    • the configuration / cancellation of any filters requested by the GARIR CSIRT.

Duties of GARR towards an APM

To effectively assist the APM in the withdrawal of its business, GARR is responsible for:

  •  providing assistance for the connection to GARR and agree with the APM the modalities of the connection itself;
  •  providing assistance after connecting to GARR for any problem concerning network interfacing;
  •  providing assistance after connecting to GARR for any problem concerning routing;
  •  providing support in the management of security incidents;
  •  keeping the statistics relating to the connection of the site belonging to the APM visible;
  •  making available on its websites all the technical information necessary for the proper performance of the role of an APM;
  •  keep the APMs informed of any planned interruptions) on the backbone through appropriate notices (opening and closing of the so-called "Trouble Tickets");
  •  keep the APM informed of any interruptions scheduled on the backbone through the opening and closing of Trouble Tickets;
  •  interacting with the APM for any problem concerning the technical functionality of a site, including routing, security, maintenance of information on national and international databases;
  •  advertising on their websites the meeting days organized by GARR.

Find your APM

Through the search procedure "Find your APM" you will be able to find the references of the Access Port Manager - APM of the institutions connected to the GARR network.

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