n. Acronym for Reseaux IP Européens. A voluntary organization of ISPs (Internet service providers) dedicated to the goal of a smoothly functioning, pan-European Internet network. Most of the work performed by RIPE is handled by discrete working groups that deal with issues such as management of the RIPE database and technical networking questions. RIPE also provides services that include registering domain names within top-level Internet domains and assigning IP (Internet Protocol) addresses. Member organizations of RIPE are supported by the RIPE NCC (Network Coordination Centre), based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. See also American Registry for Internet Numbers.
