The Mother of all Solutions (Was Class B for Sale or Rent)

Sun Mar 9 21:34:15 UTC 1997

	Let me add a word to Brett's comments.  This IS a world-scale
	economy.

	If a LARGE GROUP OF NETWORK PROVIDERS (that's us, btw, nanog),
	decided TOMORROW that WE will assign address space and route to
	it, there is no force in the world that will charge for it, or
	be able to change it.

	Here's the Ehud Scenario:
		1. Tomorrow Paul Vixie gets a pirate hair up his dec alpha
	  	   and puts in 64.in-addr.arpa. through 126.in-addr.arpa.
		   in F.
		2. We start assigning nets from this block (64/8-126/8).
		3. We start routing to this block (ok, I don't own a backbone
	    	   yet, but let me use "we" meaning nanog for now ;)

	Is this unlawful?  No.  There's no law about announcing routes,
	nor about delegating them in private internets.  For practical
	purposes, NANOG members form a private internet.  

	Is this unethical?  Some would say 'Sure, only the InterNIC and
	IANA can assign IP addresses.'  Some tell me this thinking is
	obsolete.  Jim Fleming would salivate, and Karl Deninger would
	laugh.  Well, maybe.  
	
	Is this impractical?  I dunno.  I figure we could bribe Paul with
	$ 2000 per assignment regardless of size (after all, two NS entries
	are all the same cost).  After about 52 /24s, he'd double his 
	yearly retainer income (all figures guesses with no real basis)
	and probably be able to retire to Caymans.  (That's a Brett Scenario).

	Oh yeah, it's my idea, so I want anyone who gets an allocation from	
	this scheme to send me a bottle of single-malt Scotch.

	Let me know if I've left something out.

	Ehud

	p.s. If I've pissed off anybody in this post, send me a private
	     note via us mail.  Be sure to include a bottle of single malt
	     Scotch or your note will be returned.  Just like email to admin at crl


>So that I'm not misunderstood let me say this:

>1: I do not neccessarily agree with the sale of IPs, personally, I don't
>think its a good idea

>2: This is a real world economy now, outdated academic practices which are
>currently being enforced are as wrong as the sale of IPs.

>3: Wether you, ARIN, or anyone else likes it or not, IPs are for all intents
>and purposes a resellable commodity, otherwise ARIN et all can (ala Jim
>Flemming) be called on as being a Monopoly.

>4: The simple fact of the matter is that the RFCs are not at any time, the
>law of the land. They are at best guidelines and good ideas set down for
>others to follow, but there is no rule stating that you _must_ follow them.

>5: Before you start chasing wild geese selling Class B address space I
>suggest you go back and check on all those folks that got space long before
>there were any 'restrictions and justifications'. I have no doubt that there
>is a veritable feast of IPs sitting unused at MIT, USC, and other such
>institutions that would be better used elsewhere instead of sitting in a
>corner like a dusty grad student.

>6: Finally and most importantly, stop pretending you still live in the world
>of happy academia where everyone is willing to follow the rules you set down
>just because you're the proffessor and they're the student. This just does
>not work anymore, you may scoff at people like Jim Flemming but for each one
>you knock down there is another one to learn from his mistakes and take his
>place. Do not pretend you can sit idle and call people who don't fall in
>line behind you names so that you can sit back in your dusty chair and
>pretend nothing is wrong. The internet as a whole is growing at an unthought
>of pace and your failure to keep up will not be fixed by being tight assed
>and making it harder on those that follow. Eventually someone else will take
>the forefront and throw you off your high horse like yesterdays newspaper.
>You purport to be leaders of the internet, then its about time you acted
>like it and start to solve the problems instead of trying to make the
>problems go away by being ignorant of reality.


>[-]                Brett L. Hawn (blh @ nol dot net)                       [-]
>[-]                Networks On-Line - Houston, Texas                       [-]
>[-]                           713-467-7100                                 [-]