ARIN logs AS5740, an IPv6 /48 and two /21s in one transfer

ARIN Stamped Four Rows in One Second: Two /21s, an IPv6 /48 and AS5740

Why it matters

The WorkForce Software LLC to Automatic Data Processing, Inc. transfer carried three kinds of network resource at the same timestamp. The IPv4 total is 4,096 addresses, but the ASN is the clue that this was more than an address-count story.

Theo March2 November 2026Reading Time 2 minLast update: 2 November 2026

ARIN recorded four same-second M&A-classified transfer rows covering IPv4, IPv6 and an ASN on 28 October 2026.

Summary

ARIN’s 2 November cumulative transfer file has four MERGER_ACQUISITION rows stamped 2026-10-28T20:37:39Z, all from WorkForce Software LLC to Automatic Data Processing, Inc.
Those rows cover AS5740, 2620:f9:c000::/48, 74.122.248.0/21 and 216.162.32.0/21. The IPv4 blocks contain 2,048 addresses each and do not form one contiguous /20.

The eye lands on the two IPv4 blocks. The ARIN transfer file puts 74.122.248.0/21 and 216.162.32.0/21 under Automatic Data Processing, Inc. on 28 October. Both come from WorkForce Software LLC, both are complete original ranges, and each contains 2,048 addresses. Their 4,096-address total is easy to count and easy to mistake for the whole handoff.

Two more rows carry the operating identity the IPv4 total omits. At the exact same 20:37:39Z timestamp, ARIN lists AS5740 and the whole IPv6 2620:f9:c000::/48 moving between the same organizations. All four entries are ARIN-to-ARIN, US-to-US and classified MERGER_ACQUISITION. The two /21s are far apart in address space. The public record supplies four matching resource receipts, not a fictional single /20.

ARIN’s NRPM section 8.2 covers transfers due to mergers, acquisitions and reorganizations, requires evidence of the acquired assets or current registrant, and excludes a needs-based assessment for resources transferred under that section. The transfer guide also makes the new holder responsible for maintaining organization, contact and reverse-DNS records. The public file gives no case identifier or documents distinguishing which kind of corporate change underlies this entry. Current route and ROA records would show the operational state of the four resources; the transfer timestamp records the registry action.