Only 6% of IPv4 addresses left

In January, roughly 10% of IPv4 addresses remained unallocated. Just a few months later in June, new information from ARIN shows that number has shrunk to 6.25%.

The Internet is set to run out of IP addresses by 2011. A mass-switch to IPv6 would solve this problem, but so far few businesses and ISPs have taken the initiative to do so.

So what will happen as the number of available addresses continues to shrink? Expect web hosts and server providers to charge more for extra IPs. A number of universities and non-profits also have large blocks of unused IPs. ARIN will very likely take these back. Regardless of this, the situation still looks very grim.

American ISPs stock up on IPv6 addresses

Facing an imminent shortage of IPv4 addresses, American ISPs are beginning to request more and more IPv6 addresses.

So far this year, the American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN) has received some 300 requests for IPv6 address blocks– greater than the number of requests made in 2007 and 2008 combined.

John Curran, President of ARIN, said:

We’re seeing an uptick in IPv6 address space requests; it’s a very significant growth rate.We’ve seen a slight slowdown in IPv4 address space requests…It’s probably dropped off 10% or 20% year over year.

ISPs are asking for IPv6 addresses so they can make their networks IPv6-enabled so they are ready [for the future].
We give each ISP enough IPv6 addresses to support 4 billion networks, and each network can contain trillions and trillions of hosts.

The question is, will ISPs adopt IPv6 fast enough before IPv4 runs out? Providers will have to move much more rapidly if they want to avoid an IP shortage.

Source | Network World

Photo | Flickr

Is there really a need for IPv6?

For some time now, ARIN has been pushing providers to switch to IPv6. The steady rise of computer use along with the proliferation of other web devices like cell phones and PDAs has put a heavy burden on the IPv4 system, which is expected to run out of addresses by 2011. Not so, says Paul Rubens in a recent Enterprise Networking Article.

Rubens states that most network providers have been too lazy to upgrade to IPv6, but argues there is no reason for them to spend the money on the equipment to do so. There are numerous changes that could be made to the antiquated IPv4 system to further its lifespan, including freeing up hundreds of millions of IPs reserved but not being used and using Network Address Translation.
Read More >>

Team ARIN To the Rescue…

For years, the American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN) has been pushing for a switch to IPv6, stressing that the IPv4 system still used by most providers will run out of addresses very soon.

In an effort to promote the switch, the non-profit has created Team ARIN:

Team ARIN is a group of superheroes that represent four of the principles by which the Internet is operated and governed: Accessibility, Responsibility, Information, and Neutrality. ARIN and its community strive to work under these principles. Technical information describing how Regional Internet Registries allocate Internet number resources like IPv4 and IPv6 addresses is freely available on websites across the Internet. We hope that by presenting this information in a fun and informal way, we will give you a new perspective on both important technical facts and the principles under which ARIN operates.

So far, three issues have been released. The latest, entitled “FUD 2.0 – Return of the FUD Factor!”, chronicles Team ARIN’s defeat of the evil Agent FUD, who tries to stop the switch to IPv6.

The comics were featured recently at Interop Las Vegas. Internet News had the opportunity to sit down and talk to Megan Kruse of ARIN about them.

Need for IPv6 Switch Stressed as IPv4 Addresses Run Out

Several days ago, the American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN) sent a letter out to many web hosts and Internet service providers warning about the depletion of IPv4 addresses. It states that if these organizations don’t reduce their usage, IPV4 addresses will run out in two years. Previous reports had estimated the supply wouldn’t be depleted until 2023.

The IP protocol forms the backbone of the web, providing data centers with the IP addresses needed to route web traffic. Several versions of the system exist. The most commonly used, IPv4, has been in service since the 1980s. Due to the explosion of Internet and mobile devices over the last twenty years, IPv4 addresses are being gobbled up at a rate much faster than web architects ever expected.

To keep addresses available, ARIN will introduce a new policy on May 18 requiring additional authorization before any new addresses are handed out. A new revision of the IP protocol, IPv6, has widely available for a long time. ARIN is encouraging organizations to move to the new system, which is backward compatible with IPv4. Many web hosts have made the switch. Whereas IPv4 has room for only 4.3 billion addresses, the new system can handle 3.4×10³⁸