Paul Wilson, Director General of APNIC delivers a presentation on IP addressing and IPv6 to the Policymakers Program during IETF 119 in Brisbane Australia from 16 to 22 March 2024.
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What’s an IP Address?
• The fundamental Internet infrastructure address
– Every device must have a unique* IP address
– Every network must have a range (block) of addresses*
• A “Common Resource”
– Address pools are finite
– Managed in the common interest, under common policies
– For conservation and for routability
• There’s a difference…
– IP addresses (IPv4 or IPv6)
– Domain names (eg www.isoc.org)
– Email addresses (eg pwilson@apnic.net)
– IP as in Intellectual Property
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IPv4 and IPv6 addresses
• IPv4 (since 1983)
– Example: 202.12.29.142
– 32-bit* number: 232 = 4 billion addresses
– Mostly exhausted
• IPv6 (since 1999)
– Example: FE38:DCE3:124C:C1A2:BA03:6735:EF1C:683D
– 128-bit* number: 2128 = 340 billion billion billion billion
– Should (must) last for many decades at least, or forever?
• IPv6 transition (since 2011…)
– More later.
* bit = binary digit
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Allocation
Where do IP Addresses come from?
Standards
Allocation
Assignment
RIR
More on all of this later.
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IP Addresses in use….
The Internet
Global Routing Table
4.128/9
60.100/16
60.100.0/20
135.22/16
…
Global Routing Table
4.128/9
60.100/16
60.100.0/20
135.22/16
202.12.29.0/24
…
“Announce”
202.12.29.0/24
R
202.12.29.0/24
Traffic
202.12.29.0/24
Network
Network
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Internet Address Routing
The Internet
Net
Net
Net
Net
Net
Net
Net
Net
Net
Net
Net
Global Routing Table
4.128/9
60.100/16
60.100.0/20
135.22/16
…
4.128/9
60.100/16
60.100.0/20
135.22/16
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Global Routing Table
4.128/9
60.100/16
60.100.0/20
135.22/16
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Global Routing Table
4.128/9
60.100/16
60.100.0/20
135.22/16
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Global Routing Table
4.128/9
60.100/16
60.100.0/20
135.22/16
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Global Routing Table
4.128/9
60.100/16
60.100.0/20
135.22/16
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Global Routing Table
4.128/9
60.100/16
60.100.0/20
135.22/16
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Global Routing Table
4.128/9
60.100/16
60.100.0/20
135.22/16
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Global Routing Table
4.128/9
60.100/16
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Global Routing Table
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135.22/16
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Global Routing Table
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60.100/16
60.100.0/20
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Global Routing Table
4.128/9
60.100/16
60.100.0/20
135.22/16
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Global Routing Table
4.128/9
60.100/16
60.100.0/20
135.22/16
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Global Routing Table
4.128/9
60.100/16
60.100.0/20
135.22/16
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Global Routing Table
4.128/9
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60.100.0/20
135.22/16
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Global Routing Table
4.128/9
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60.100.0/20
135.22/16
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Global Routing Table
4.128/9
60.100/16
60.100.0/20
135.22/16
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Global Routing Table
4.128/9
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60.100.0/20
135.22/16
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Global Routing Table
4.128/9
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60.100.0/20
135.22/16
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Global Routing Table
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Global Routing Table
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Global Routing Table
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Global Routing Table
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135.22/16
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Global Routing Table
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The need for IPv6…
• One reason: more IP addresses
– Other benefits are minor
• The Internet will keep growing
– Broadband, wifi, 4G, 5G…
– “Internet of Things”
• IPv6 is the only viable option
– Enable sustainable growth of the Internet
– Without IPv6 the future isn’t great
• But will it work?
– Slow deployment so far…
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Early days: 1981 – 1992
“The assignment of numbers is also handled by Jon. If you are
developing a protocol or application that will require the use of a
link, socket, port, protocol, or network number please contact
Jon to receive a number assignment.” (RFC 790)
1981:
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Boom times: 1992 – 2001
“It has become clear that … these problems are likely to become critical
within the next one to three years.” (RFC1366, Gerich)
“…it is [now] desirable to consider delegating the registration function to an
organization in each of those geographic areas.” (RFC 1338)
1992:
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What do RIRs do?
• Internet number resource management
– IP addresses: IPv4 and IPv6
– Autonomous System Numbers
– Allocation, Transfer
– Resource registration (“whois”)
• Policy development process
– Coordination and support of PDP
– Open Policy Meetings
– Global policy process (via ASO and ICANN)
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Internet technical coordination
• A.K.A. the “code layer” (Lessig)
• One subset of “Internet Governance”
– Internet standards development
– DNS administration
– DNS infrastructure coordination
– IP address and related resource management
• Activities of several types
– Administrative
– Operational
– Standards and technical policy
– Internet address management (RIRs)
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IANA stewardship transition
• Original purpose of ICANN
– To take stewardship of IANA function from USG
– “In no event later than 2000” (USG Green Paper)
• NTIA announcement March 2014
– Specific requirements defined, including accountability
– For completion by 30 Sep 2016
• Transition planning
– ICG: IANA transition Coordination Group
– Provided proposal to NTIA in 2016
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IANA stewardship transition
• Internet Number Community
– 1 of 3 communities identified by transition process
– RIR members and other stakeholders
• RIR CRISP team
– Community-selected planning committee
– CRISP principles and proposal 15 Jan 2015
• Implementation
– “SLA” for IANA services (replacing NTIA)
– IANA Review Committee
– Accountability improvements
– Completed 2016
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APNIC
• The RIR for the Asia Pacific region
• Delegates and manages Internet
number resources
– IPv4 and IPv6 addresses
– AS numbers
• Membership-based, not-for-profit
– Community self-regulatory body
– Open, Neutral, Transparent
– Consensus-based Policy Process
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NIRs in the APNIC region
• National registries existed prior to APNIC…
– JPNIC, CNNIC, KRNIC, TWNIC, AUNIC, NZNIC
• Some NIRs formed later
– VNNIC, IRINN, IDNIC
• Some dissolved after APNIC formed
– AUNIC, NZNIC
– No new NIRs are being accepted now (due to IPv4 exhaustion)
• NIR functions
– Providing IP address registration services
– Hosting local PDP and related activities
– Interfacing with APNIC: operations and PDP
– Other activities according to role and need
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What else does APNIC do?
• Information products and services
– APNIC Labs, Blog, Ping
– Tools: Rex, DASH, Netox
• Capacity building
– Training and technical assistance
– Conferences, fellowships
– Community support: NOGs, CERTs
– Cooperation and advocacy: IETF, ICANN, ITU, APT, PITA, OECD, APEC TEL…
• Infrastructure support
– IXPs and DNS rootservers
• Internet development
– APNIC Foundation (2016)
– Asia Pacific Internet Development Trust (2021)