[LINK] ISOC: 32-bit AS Numbers

[stephen at melbpc.org.au]

** 32-bit AS Numbers – The View from the old BGP World **

Geoff Huston  <http://www.potaroo.net/> January 2007

http://ispcolumn.isoc.org/2007-01/asn32.html

The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) has now expanded the AS 
number registry from its original 16 bit range (AS numbers 0 through 
65535) to a 32 bit range (AS numbers 0 through 4,294,967,295). 

As of the 1st January 2007 the Regional Internet Registries are able to 
process requests for 32-bit AS numbers, if so requested. It may well be 
that we’ll be seeing some of these extended length AS numbers being used 
in the public network very soon after that date. 

This opening up of the AS number registry is a timely action, in that we 
were running low with AS numbers in the 16 bit AS number range. The 
recent rate of as number consumption was such that by October 2010 the AS 
number range would’ve been completely exhausted. 

The Regional Internet Registries have each adopted policies that allow 
ISPs to transition their networks into using this extended AS number 
range over some years, without the need for last second deployment of 
rushed changes in BGP. 

For the next two years, from 1 January 2007 until 31 December 2008, ISPs 
may specifically request an AS number from the extended 32-bit number 
pool (i.e. an AS number greater than 65535), but, by default they will be 
assigned an AS Number from the original 16 bit number pool (i.e. a number 
less than 65536). From 1 January 2009 the allocation practice will be 
reversed, and unless a 16-b it AS number is specifically requested, AS 
numbers will be allocated from the extended 32-bit number pool. <snip>
--

Message sent using MelbPC WebMail Server