16 vs 32 bit ASNs [Re: BBC does IPv6 ;) (Was: large multi-site enterprises and PI]

Tue Nov 30 13:26:16 UTC 2004

Michael.Dillon at radianz.com wrote:
> This is where a sensible geographical addressing hierarchy
> comes in. Start by allocating a very big chunk of the v6
> address space to geographical addresses. This chunk should
> be approximately the same size as the chunk that we expect
> to use with the current allocation system. We can easily
> afford to block off this much space in v6.
> 
> Now, subdivide this chunk into 6 geographic blocks. 5 of
> those blocks will go to the 5 existing RIRs including
> Afrinic. The 6th will go in reserve to be subdivided in
> smaller pieces to places that don't fit the RIR system.
> Antarctica, ships at sea, airplanes, space stations. 
> There is no guarantee that we would need any of this
> 6th block, but better safe than sorry.
> 
> Now, within its geographic block, each RIR would need
> to develop some plan for subdividing its region into
> geographic areas that roughly follow the trade and
> fiber flows of the region. The subdivision is rough
> because it is not the boundaries that matter, it is
> the exchange points. Geographic addresses will not
> work without exchange points. The allocation scheme
> will be to give addresses to echange point areas
> in such a way that all addresses within an area
> can be aggregated outside the area.

This is broken by design.  What would have happend if this
had be done before the fiber glut in the late 90's?  As far
as I am aware a couple of new fiber routes have been build
and a few more cities have become nodes.

Anything that takes geography into the routing is plain and
simple broken.

Every now and then a new technology comes around and changes
the landscape.  Lets have a look at people transportation in
the last century.  First we had railroads and ships, then
came the airplane.  I fundamentally changed how you had to
travel from inner Europe to the inner US.  In the old days
to get from Geneva, Switzerland to Chicago, USA, I had to
go either to Rotterdam or Marseilles and then on a large
ocean liner.  Once in north America I could either take the
railroad from NYC to Chicago or get on another ship to Chicago
via the great lakes.

Today you hop on a plane and fly directly and non-stop from
Geneva Airport to Chicago O'Hare.  And it takes only 12 hours
instead of one to two weeks.  Rotterdam and Marseilles have
entirely lost their role as ports to the world for passenger
transportation.  The railroads going there too.  Both sea ports
are only used for containers and other cargo these days.  Not
that this is unimportant but it's no longer where people go or
come by.

I always thought it was only politicians with very dim memory
of close and far history but this doesn't seem to be the case.
Simply take all the proposals on the table, wind back 10 years,
apply them and step forward until you reach the present day.
Very effective technique but sadly seldomly used.

-- 
Andre