Where to buy Internet IP addresses

Jack Bates jbates at brightok.net
Wed May 6 12:52:22 UTC 2009


Carsten Bormann wrote:
> For now: Reserve a /64 for your own allocations (SAA), then hand out 
> half of what you have (i.e., of a /56 for the first CPE, so a /57) to 
> the first asker, then a /58, then a /59 etc.  The first asker (nested 
> CPE) has a /57, reserves a /64 for itself (SAA), hands out a /58 to its 
> first child (double-nested CPE), then a /59.
> This algorithm restricts width plus depth to 8 (64 - 56), which is 
> probably fine for most residential applications.
>

This makes a lot of assumptions that may not hold true and restricts 
home devices to treating IPv6 similar to how they treat IPv4. It's not 
scalable and it doesn't promote usage of multiple segments per device.

The restriction is actually 6 if you make a more sane assumption of /61 
per device and not /64. Standard CPE's can support multiple wireless 
networks and Ethernet segments. An ISP might divide up in a provided 
CPE, for example, wireless, data, voice, and video (which still needs 
unicast in addition to multicast). The netgear I configured last night 
for a customer supports 4 wireless networks plus ethernet.

> The probabilistic aspect (FCFS) may cause you cognitive dissonance, but 
> little technical problem.
> (Something that could be said about many of the "I grew up on IPv4 so I 
> don't understand IPv6" postings here.)
> 

I have little trouble with understanding IPv6, but I do have issues with 
the current state of it both in standards and in implementations. FCFS 
only works if home routers continue to work similar to the way they do.

>> What if the ISP only gave a /60?
> 
> Don't do that then!
> (http://www.jargondb.org/glossary/dont-do-that-then)
> 
> Really, /56 for everyone is the only way back to an Internet.
> 

See, that's where we disagree. Better standards is the only way back to 
the Internet. Solving all problems from end to end in diverse networks 
is the way back to the Internet. /56 is arbitrary. Making assumptions 
about how a network will be restricts the Internet.


Jack




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