The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) recently issued two blocks of IPv4 address space to APNIC, the Regional Internet Registry (RIR) for the Asia Pacific region.
The end of IPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4) addresses was announced in a ceremony in Miami this morning. Each of the five Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) was allocated one of the final five large blocks of about 16 million addresses.
“A pool of more than four billion Internet addresses has just been emptied this morning,” said Rod Beckstrom, president and CEO of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which oversees IANA. “The future of the Internet, and the innovation it fosters, lies with IPv6.”
The supply of fresh IPv4 addresses for North America will probably last only about six months. This could change in the future if a global address policy were to be implemented that enabled IANA to accept returned IPv4 addresses from the RIRs in increments smaller than a /8. ARIN will continue to issue IPv4 addresses in accordance with policy until the ARIN IPv4 resource pool is depleted.
Now is the time to start implementing IPv6 if you haven’t done so already. We probably have about 6 months before IPv6 only clients will start showing up in Asia/Pacific.
What happens when ARIN runs out of IPv4 address space?
It’s inevitable that there will be some organizations that will still want/need IPv4 address space after the ARIN resource pool is depleted. ARIN’s Specified Transfer Listing Service (STLS) provides a way for organizations to either advertise their available IPv4 address space or contact an organization with space to arrange a transfer using section 8.3 of ARIN’s NRPM.
Similarly, if organizations have or are in need of IPv4 address space and have contacted an organization with reciprocal inventory or need, they are welcome to conduct a transfer under section 8.3 of ARIN’s NRPM without utilizing the STLS.
Per NRPM 4.1.8, if ARIN does not have sufficient inventory to fulfill a qualified IPv4 request, the requesting organization may choose to be placed on a waiting list of pre-qualified recipients. This waiting list will specify both the largest block the organization is approved to receive and the smallest block the organization will accept. As address blocks become available for allocation, ARIN will fulfill waiting list requests on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to block size availability and re-verification of an organization’s eligibility.
Want to learn more?
If you need help or want to discuss IPV6 and how to implement, consider calling 1Velocity. We’ll have you talk to Jean Nicolas, CCIE, our network operations manager.
Jean is responsible for designing and maintaining all components of the 1Velocity network. Jean Nicolas has more than 15 years experience in computer networking, systems design and computer programming. He holds multiple certifications, including the Cisco Certified Internetworking Expert (CCIE) in routing and switching, Cisco Certified Systems Instructor (CCSI) and Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP).
Prior to joining 1Velocity, Jean worked at Network Learning, Inc., where he managed large MAN, WAN, and VoIP implementation projects and taught classes for students seeking CCNA, CCIE, and CCDA certifications. Previously, he worked as a senior network engineer for Cisco Systems, providing support to AT&T, UUNet British Telecom, and other telecommunications carriers around the world.
Link to the above and other FAQ on ARIN’s website: https://www.arin.net/resources/request/ipv4_depletion.html
Here is a story from Computerworld on the subject, too: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9207961/ICANN_assigns_its_last_IPv4_addresses
