[LINK] Unassigned IPv4 addresses exhausted

[Stephen Loosley]

Yes, thanks for the clarification Glen. As usual your attention to detail does you (and Link) considerable credit.

I am sure Linkers would be interested in thoughts pertaining to Google statistics regarding IPv6 at the site also
mentioned at https://www.google.com/intl/en/ipv6/statistics.html and also regards the weak Aussie showing?

Cheers,
Stephen



From: Glen Turner<mailto:gdt at gdt.id.au>
Sent: Saturday, November 12, 2016 4:41 PM
Subject: Re: [LINK] Unassigned IPv4 addresses exhausted

> This week the world Internet Architect Board has advised that
> unassigned IVP4 addresses are now exhausted ...

There's a slight difference between the above and the IAB's statement
that "the *pool* of unassigned IPv4 addresses has been exhausted". That
is, all IPv4 addressing at IANA has been assigned out to the regional
internet registries (APNIC, etc). Those registries could be holding
unassigned IPv4 address blocks, or they may have exhausted supplies
too. In any case, a specification from a international standards body
can't depend upon a supply being available.

Note the addressee of the IAB's letter. It is to other standards
bodies. Basically it's saying to them "don't permit any more
specifications which *require* IPv4 addressing to operate". If a
mandatory requirement upon a IAB networking protcool is needed, then it
should be for IPv6.

The work of international standards bodies is much longer term than
growing the day-to-day use of IPv6. So comments about adoption rates
obscure the essence of the IAB's statement.

Basically what the IAB is seeking here is for other international
standards bodies to have a specification approval gate which says "does
not mandate IPv4 for the specification to work successfully".

-glen