FAQ : Account : What about credits and ISK?

Other FAQ sections

10 easy mini steps to IPv6 Can I change handles? Can I share my account? Can I use SixXS commercially? Email Bounces / Email address requirements How can I remove my account? How do I update my account information? How many accounts am I allowed to have? / How many times can I signup? I've lost my password My signup was rejected What about credits and ISK? Why does SixXS need my valid address information?

What about credits and ISK?

SixXS uses a credit system to limit users in repeating bad actions and to make sure they maintain their tunnels and most likely thus actually use them. For example if a static tunnel is down it will cost you some credits, thus you better keep it up. One could see the credit system as a bank, you got a credit limit and you can't go over it and buy everything you want, but when you earn credits because your tunnel is up you can do a lot with it.

The currency unit used is the IP SixXS Kredit (ISK). The currency is completely virtual and has no relation to any real, physical, value. The main target of the existance of this currency is to make people actually use their tunnel and keep them working. You do something for the system, and the system allows you do other things.

Extra Credits

Extra credits can be earned by reporting bugs in the system, coding cool IPv6 applications, contributing a significant useful article to the Wiki and of course we can be bribed with all kinds of goodies.

Running out of money

When your credit count is 0 (zero) or lower, moving the endpoint of a tunnel is still possible, the tunnel will also keep on working no matter how low the credit count is. If the tunnel was not working you would not be able to earn credits thus ending you up in a deadlock situation, this allows you to make the tunnel working again and regain a positive credit balance.

When the credit count is 15 ISK or lower, you will not be able to request new tunnels, subnets or NS entries. This is the so called lower credit threshold/boundary. Note that users with very low credits will automatically be disabled by our robot.

Credit Loans / Bonusses

When you have demonstrated that you can keep your tunnel active for more than 3 consecutive weeks and you are still below the 0 credit limit, you can ask SixXS to give you a credit loan, which will give you a credit boost so that you can request new items. Of course this loan can be denied depending on your credit record. Do provide a good reason why you should be given the extra credit.

Refused Requests

If a request gets refused one loses the credits that the request cost. We will not refund any credits. To make an analogy: one can spend money on a lot of silly things you don't need, your money is gone and there is no refund.

Dynamic Tunnels

As dynamic (AYIYA and heartbeat) tunnels won't be up all the time it will only receive a 5 ISK bonus after it has been created for one week. After that uptime credits will be given every two weeks when the tunnel is alive.

One can't lose any credits with a dynamic tunnel but the tunnel must be up if you want to receive credits.

Cost Table

The current default cost table is:

Action		Cost
Adding a reverse DNS server	debits	1
Approving a subnet request	debits	4
Approving a tunnel request	debits	5
Deducted when somebody is hammering on our TIC server	debits	5
Deleting a subnet	debits	50
Deletion of a tunnel	debits	25
Moving a tunnel's endpoint / Change Tunnel Type	debits	15
Removing a reverse DNS server	debits	1
Requesting a subnet	debits	10
Requesting a tunnel	debits	10
Static tunnel IPv6 endpoint didn't ping for a day	debits	5
Static tunnel IPv6 endpoint didn't ping for a week (autodisable)	debits	50
The host pinged yet another week	credits	5

The above list shows the default credit costs, each PoP can have their own set of costs.