How the Internet Works 19 September 2012

ARIN Enters Phase 2 of IPv4 Countdown – Only 3 /8 Blocks Left

By Dan YorkChief of Staff, Office of the CEO

Today marked another milestone in the ongoing exhaustion of IPv4 addresses – the American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN) entered Phase 2 of its IPv4 Countdown Plan meaning that it has only 3 “/8” blocks of IPv4 addresses left.  In fact, the counter on ARIN’s Countdown page shows only 2.89  /8 blocks left.

On a practical level, what this means is that if you want a large block of IPv4 addresses from ARIN, your request will go through a more involved review process and may incur time delays in processing.  Essentially ARIN is starting to get ready and test out their review processes for when they hit their final “/8” block, as RIPE NCC recently did, where the review process will be even more strenuous.

All of this is just another part of the last dance of IPv4… and is yet another reason why you need to be looking at how your organization is moving to IPv6 if you have not already done so.

The time is now! Check out our IPv6 resources.  Or let us know if you can’t find what you are looking for. And just do it!

How can we help you get started?

Disclaimer: Viewpoints expressed in this post are those of the author and may or may not reflect official Internet Society positions.

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