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Free IPv4 Pool Now Down To Seven /8s
Zocalo writes "For those of you keeping score, ICANN just allocated another four /8 IPv4 blocks; 23/8 and 100/8 to ARIN, 5/8 and 37/8 to RIPE, leaving just seven /8s unassigned. In effect however, this means that there are now just two /8s available before the entire pool will be assigned due to an arrangement whereby the five Regional Internet Registries would each automatically receive one of the final five /8s once that threshold was met. The IPv4 Address Report counter at Potaroo.net is pending an update and still saying 96 days, but it's now starting to look doubtful that we're going to even make it to January."
And the best part for ISPs is, NAT turns the Internet from its inherent peer-to-peer nature into a client/server architecture where all home users can be relegated to "content consumers" under cover of IP4 address shortages. Score!
I'm frankly terrified that the "solution" to this is not to fix the underlying issue, but instead to layer work-arounds on it.
Not to mention, unless I'm much mistaken a NAT can support 65536 connections at maximum (number of valid ports for outgoing connections). A /8 network might be okay, but putting a larger network behind NAT isn't going to help, and you can't layer them (because you still need a port free for the connection). We're going to run out, NAT just delays the inevitable by layering a giant administrative headache on the top.
what needs "public" IPs?
Anything that wants to participate in the peer-to-peer internet as a peer.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
"Why not now"? Because slack-ass websites like the one you're currently browsing still haven't bothered to flip on the IPv6 switch. I have IPv6 at home (pretty much plug-and-play; just enable it on the Apple Airport base station and all of the LAN machines pick up an address) and the only site I've found to go to is "ipv6.google.com". OK, there's also a dancing turtle GIF on kame.net, but that doesn't really count.
Interestingly there is an "ipv6.slashdot.org" DNS entry. However it has no IPv6 "AAAA" record, only an IPv4 "A". Seriously guys, WTF? If a techie "News for Nerds" site can't be bothered to make itself available to IPv6 users then there's little hope for the rest of the web.
Lets say your ISP assigns you 10.0.32.128. Now, kindly tell me how you plan to connect to your home PC from work.
What will make it even more fun is if you have two branch offices of the same company connected to the different ISPs getting 172.16.32.66 and 10.0.65.88, how do you set up a VPN between them?
I am a lawyer and this constitutes legal advice and I shall indemnify you against any losses arising from taking it.
A lot of the rest of us get along pretty well with putting our servers behind a router/NAT that lets us define which ports get forwarded to which systems behind the router, thus adding "firewall" as a feature.
Thing is, that's only when you have control over the NAT device. If ISPs move to multiple levels of NAT, as some people suggest, then you no longer have access to a thing on which you can forward ports. You're stuck being a content consumer.
4096R/EF7BAFA6 79E1 DF98 D09D 898F 9A11 F6F0 DDDC 23FA EF7B AFA6
Sounds like something ISPs actually wouldn't mind obstructing.
A curious key thing I fail to understand about this issue is why the ip4/ip6 issue encourages people to act so rudely towards other professionals who demonstrate at least some grasp of the underlying issue.
I think you ask a reasonable question, the question in my mind similar to yours: the transition from ip4/ip6 appears to be hard and this is a factor in it's slow adoption so what prevented the design a more gentler protocol that provided a smoother/simpler transition; particularly given our heavy reliance on this network in so many facets of our civilization?
As a programmer that does alot of network type stuff close to the metal, frequently designing my own OSI 7 protocols, I understand ip4 and higher layers very well, better than most IT professionals; but certainly not as well as a carrier network engineer. I know little about IP6 other than than regular reports about it's high barrier to entry and the inherent complexity associated with the change over. Maybe I need to make time and learn more about it now; but life is busy and other things compete for my time.
But to such questions can always be counted on being treated rudely by ip6 zealots. Just like the ruby programming language, I am keen to learn more when I get the spare time, and I dabble when I can, but in some ways disinclined given how rude and obnoxious the community advocating it can be.