large multi-site enterprises and PI prefix [Re: who gets a /32 [Re: IPV6 renumbering painless?]]

Tue Nov 23 06:39:31 UTC 2004

ok, i'll bite.

patrick at ianai.net (Patrick W Gilmore) writes:

> Why is an ISP more "worthy" or PI space than a large enterprise.  In
> fact, ISPs are responsible for far, far more table pollution than
> enterprises.  Pot-Kettle-Black?

to ask about worthiness is to presuppose a valuer.  "worthy in whose eyes?"

that's not as simple as it might sound.  it's not "the public".  it's the
great collective of people and companies who own and who pay for the routers
in whose routing tables you're asking for a slot.

once you figure out the value-perspective, figuring out "worthiness" is easy.
you're worthy of a slot if their customers/endusers want to exchange packets
with the destinations covered by the prefix occupying "a slot".

sadly, this doesn't map to local economics.  the great collective of which i
speak will gladly "spend" "a slot" on an isp who brings lots of eyeballs or
lots of content to "the table".  they aren't so willing to spend a slot on
helping wal-mart or ford avoid a renumbering penalty.

fortunately or unfortunately, the great collective of which i speak has no
voice (or actually it has too many voices, which comes to the same thing).
-- 
Paul Vixie