1

IPv6–Whatisit,whyisitimportant,andwhoisincharge?…answerstocommonquestionsfrompolicymakers,executivesandothernon­technicalreaders.

AfactualpaperpreparedforandendorsedbytheChiefExecutiveOfficersofICANNandalltheRegionalInternetRegistries,October2009.

1.WhatisIPv6?

“IP”istheInternetProtocol,thesetofdigitalcommunicationcodeswhichunderliestheInternetinfrastructure.IPallowstheflowofpacketsofdatabetweenanypairofpointsonthenetwork,providingthebasicserviceuponwhichtheentireInternetisbuilt.WithoutIP,theInternetasweknowitwouldnotexist.

CurrentlytheInternetmakesuseofIPversion4,orIPv4,whichisnowreachingthelimitsofitscapacitytoaddressadditionaldevices.IPv6isthe“nextgeneration”ofIP,whichprovidesavastlyexpandedaddressspace.UsingIPv6,theInternetwillbeabletogrowtomillionsoftimesitscurrentsize,intermsofthenumbersofpeople,devicesandobjectsconnectedtoit1.

2.JusthowbigisIPv6?

Toanswerthisquestion,wemustcomparetheIPv6addressarchitecturewiththatofIPv4.TheIPv4addresshas32bits,allowingtoday’sInternettoconnectuptoaroundfourbilliondevices.Bycontrast,IPv6hasanaddressof128bits.Becauseeachadditionalbitdoublesthesizeoftheaddressspace,anextra96bitsincreasesthetheoreticalsizeoftheaddressspacebymanytrillionsoftimes.Forcomparison,ifIPv4wererepresentedasagolfball,thenIPv6wouldbeapproachingthesizeoftheSun.2

IPv6iscertainlynotinfinite,butitisnotgoingtorunoutanytimesoon.EachoftheRIRshasalreadybeenallocatedatleastoneblockofIPv6addresseswhichisofitselfbiggerthantheentirecurrentIPv4space.Whensubdividinganddistributingaddresses,generousallocationsarepreferable,astheyprovidegreaterflexibilityandefficiencyinnetworkdesign,benefitingserviceprovidersandend‐usersalike.However,thesewillalsoresultinwastageofaddresses,soasuitablebalancemustbemaintainedbetweenasimpleadministrativeframeworkandtheneedforongoingconservationofaddresses.

Indevelopedcountriestoday,therateofutilizationofIPv4addressesisgenerallyaround2addressesperheadofpopulation3.IfthisrateofInternetpenetrationwerereplicatedthroughouttheworld,atotalof12billionaddresseswouldbeneeded,animpossibleachievementsinceIPv4providesamaximumofjust4billionaddresses.Ontheotherhand,thesamelevelofIPv6penetrationwouldrequirelessthanonebillionthoftheentireIPv6addressspace4.

IPv6providesanaddressspacewhichissufficienttoprovideaddressesforanyconceivablenumberofindividuals,organizations,devices,ornetwork‐enabledobjectsintheforeseeablefuture(foranumberofcenturies,atleast).EvenassumingauniformglobalInternetwhichisamilliontimesdenserthanthatoftoday’smostadvancedeconomy,IPv6,ifproperlymanaged,willbeabletoprovidetherequiredaddresses5.

1ISOCBriefingPaper1,“IPv6andtheFutureoftheInternet”http://www.isoc.org/briefings/001/2Agolfballoccupies0.04l,theSun1.4x1030l;theratiois1:3.5x1031,or1:1.7x2104.3Fromhttp://resources.potaroo.net/iso3166/v4cc.html4Aconservativecalculationwhichassumestheequivalenceof1IPv4/32identifier(ofwhich232areavailable)and1IPv6/64identifier(ofwhich264areavailable)5Acalculationwhichfollowsdirectlyfrom(4)

2

3.Howareallocationsmade,andtowhom?

IPaddressesaremanagedunderasystemwhichhasbeeninoperationforsome15years,andwhichhassupportedthesuccessfulgrowthoftheInternetbyafactorofover100inthattime6.ThissystemwasestablishedinitiallybytheInternetEngineeringTaskForce(IETF)7,arecognizedinternationalstandardsdevelopmentorganizationwhichisthehomeoftheInternet'scoretechnicalstandards.

Today,organisationsknownasRegionalInternetaddressRegistry(RIRs8)receiveIPaddressesfromacentralglobalsource,theIANA(orInternetAssignedNumbersOrganisation,whichisoperatedbyICANN,theInternetCorporationforAssignedNamesandNumbers9).TheRIRsthenmakeallocationsdirectlytoInternetServiceProviders(ISPs)andnetworkoperatorswithintheirrespectiveregions.Thissystemachievesabalancebetweentheuniformresourcemanagement(whichiscriticaltothemaintenanceofasinglegloballycohesiveInternet),andthedirectserviceoftheneedsofISPs(namely,thosewhoneedanduseInternetaddressspace).

EachoftheRIRsisanon‐profitorganization,andactsinaccordancewithpoliciesandpracticeswhichareestablishedbytheInternetcommunityinitsregion10.Thesepoliciesandpracticesgovernthemanagement,allocation,usageandrecoveryofIPaddressspace(bothIPv4andIPv6)accordingtothebestcurrentpracticesoftheInternet,itsindustryandstakeholders.Atthegloballevel,policiesandpracticesarecoordinatedthroughtheAddressSupportingOrganisation(ASO11)ofICANN.

Insomecases(currently8intotal),NationalInternetaddressRegistries(NIRs)provideserviceswithinaspecificcountryoreconomy,ineffectasanagentoftheRIR12.SuchregistriesoperateunderthepoliciesandauthorityoftheirRIR,anddonotreceivetheirownallocationsofIPaddressspace13.TheoperationofNIRs,wheretheyexist,isspecifictolocalneedsandcircumstances:forinstance,somemaybeGovernmentalbodieswhileothersmaybeindependent.

4.HowareIPv6addressesactuallybeingallocated?

LikeIPv4,IPv6addressspaceisallocatedbytheRIRsinlinewiththetopologyofthenetworkitself,totheInternetServiceProviders(ISPs,andsimilarorganizations)whorequireit.Allocationsaremadeunderasetoftransparentaddressmanagementpolicies,inaccordancewiththedemonstratedtechnicalneedsoftherecipients.Whennewtechnologiesorapplicationsaredevelopedwhichmayimpactuponaddressmanagementtechniques,theseareaccommodatedviaopenpolicydevelopmentprocesseswhichoperateineachregion.Theseformalprocessesareopentoallinterestedstakeholders,throughatotalof9majorpolicydevelopmentmeetingswhichareheldaroundtheworldeachyear.

6FromtheWorldBank“WorldDevelopmentIndicators”,Internetuserpopulation1993to2007(http://ddp‐ext.worldbank.org/ext/DDPQQ/member.do?method=getMembers&userid=1&queryId=135)7RFC1366“GuidelinesforManagementofIPAddressSpace”,http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc1366.txt8http://www.nro.net9Seehttp://www.icann.org10ISOCBriefingPaper10,“TheRegionalInternetRegistryPolicyDevelopmentProcess”http://www.isoc.org/briefings/010/11Seehttp://www.aso.icann.org12Seehttp://www.apnic.net/services/services‐apnic‐provides/policy/apnic‐policies/nir‐criteria/nir‐criteria13Seehttp://www.apnic.net/services/services‐apnic‐provides/policy/apnic‐policies/nir‐operational‐policies

3

Intheirpolicy‐makingtodatetheRIRcommunitieshavemadeaseriesofspecificdecisionstoensurethatthereareminimalbarrierstoIPv6adoptionbyISPsandothers.AtpresenttheminimumsizeofanIPv6allocationtoanyISPisgreaterthantheentireexistingglobalIPv4addressspace,yeteachallocationistheequivalentofonlyasingleIPv4addressontoday’sInternet(onefour‐billionthoftheavailableaddressspace).

Attheenduserlevel,IPv6addressesarealsoallocatedinverysubstantialblocksratherthaninsingleaddressesorsmallblocks,ashasbeenthecasewithIPv4.Undertoday’spolicies,eachIPv6userreceivesenoughaddressspacetoallowtheuseofhundredsorthousandsofseparatesegmentswithinahomeorbusinessnetwork.Dependingontheirserviceconfiguration,eachenduserhasenoughaddressspacetoaddressanyconceivablenumberofdevices(literallymillions)whichmightbeused.ThiswillallowIPv6‐enableddevicesincludingappliances,sensorsandobjectstobedeployedeasilyandcheaplyinthelargenumberswhichareexpectedincomingyears.

5.WhydidsuchlargeIPv4addressallocationsgotoUSorganizations,includingtheUSGovernment,anditsDepartmentofDefense?

TheInternetwasdevelopedbytheUSDefenseAdvancedProjectsResearchAgency(DARPA),andwasoriginallyusedbytheAmericanGovernmentandacademicorganisations.Untilthelate1980stheInternetwasneverexpectedtobecomeacriticalglobalinfrastructure,andIPv4addressallocationsweremadeinaliberalmanner,notjustintheUS,buttogovernmentandacademicinstitutionsthroughouttheworld.ThisresultedinmanylargeallocationsofIPv4addressspace,andtheearlydepletionoftheIPv4addresspool(totheextentthatin1991,moreIPv4addresseswereallocatedthaninanyyearsincethen14).

Itwasonlyintheearly1990s,whenanInternet“boom”becameapparent,thatconcernsaroseabouttherateandmannerofaddressspacedistribution15.Atthistime,theRIRsystemwasproposed16inordertoensurethataddressesweremanagedbytheInternetcommunityitself,inthebestpossiblemanner.Atthesametime,workwasstartedon“nextgeneration”oftheInternetProtocol,whichwouldbenecessarytosupportlong‐termInternetgrowth.Thiswasstandardizedin1995asIPv617.

Asdescribedabove,IPv6allocationsaremadeonaneutralandimpartial“demonstratedneed”basis,accordingtoaddressmanagementpolicieswhichcanadaptasrequiredtochangingneedsandcircumstances.IPv6allocationsaremadeuniformlytoanyorganizationwhichdemonstratesitsrequirement,andthereisnopossibilityof“special”allocationsbeingmadetoanyorganization,whetherGovernmental,businessorotherwise.

6.Howdoesthissystemchangetomeetevolvingneeds?Whataboutdevelopingcountriesandthechangingfaceofindustry?

ThroughtheRIRpolicyprocesses,allstakeholdershavetheabilitytobringconcernstolightandtoproposesolutionsforanyproblemswhichcanbedemonstrated.Inthiswayavarietyofissuesaffectingdevelopingcountrieshavebeenraisedandaddressedinthepast,resultinginpolicychangesthathavesupportedInternetdeploymentinthosecountries.Recentlyforinstance,thesizeoftheminimumIPv4allocationhasbeenreducedinsomeregions,allowingeasieraccesstoaddressspacebythoseindisadvantagedcircumstances.

14SeeproceedingsofAPNIC27:http://meetings.apnic.net/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/8939/pan‐nro‐stats.pdf(slide4),andAPNIC25:http://www.apnic.net/__data/assets/file/0004/6646/20080225‐apnic25‐igf2008.ppt(slide16)15RFC1338“Supernetting:anAddressAssignmentandAggregationStrategy”,http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc1338.txt16RFC1366“GuidelinesforManagementofIPAddressSpace”,http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc1366.txt17RFC1886“InternetProtocol,Version6”,http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc1886.txt

4

ItisnotablethateachoftheRIRs,inaccordancewithitsregionalprioritiesandneeds,hasplacedsubstantialresourcesintosupportforInternetdevelopmentandcapacitybuildingintheirregions,andparticularlyindevelopingcountries.Thissupporthastakentheformoftargetedandsubsidizedtrainingprograms,conferencescholarshipsupport,discountedfees,onlineresources,remoteparticipationfacilitiesforRIRmeetings,andmanyothermeasures,.Infuture,astheIPv6Internetevolvesandgrows,theregionaladdresspolicyprocesseswillensurethatallrelevantconsiderationsareboughttobearonpolicyformation,inbothdevelopinganddevelopednations.

Thecurrentpolicyframeworkforaddressdistributionoperatesonaneeds‐basedframework,usingatimeframethatisgenerallyanannualcycle.ForverylargedeploymentsthatweanticipatewiththecontinuedgrowthoftheInternetwithIPv6itmaybeappropriatefornetworkoperatorstobeabletoplanaddressdeploymentsoveralongertimeframeofnetworkdeployment.Oneoftheessentialattributesoftheaddressdistributionsystemistheabilitytoadaptandchange.

Proposalstochangetheparametersrelatedtoaddressdistributiontomeettheevolvingneedsofthisindustryatbothlocalandgloballevelscanbeconsideredandendorsedwithintherespectiveregionalandglobalpolicydevelopmentprocessesforaddressmanagement.

7.WoulditbebettertosetupaUN­basedofothermultilateralorganisationtomanageIPaddressallocations?

The Internet today is a distributed, decentralized, multi-stakeholder enterprise, but one which is also reliable, efficient and secure enough to carry trillions of dollars in value and investment worldwide. Indeed it is argued by many that the success of the Internet has not occurred in spite of its unique mode of coordination, but rather because of it18.

AstheInternethasgrown,someGovernmentsandinterGovernmentalorganizationshavesoughttoplayamuchstrongerroleingoverningitsuseandensuringthatitis“properly”regulated.Thisapproachhasbeenresistedbytheinternetcommunityatlarge,whichmaintainstheviewthattheimpositionofgovernmentalcontrolswouldinevitablystiflethecurrentlyhighlyeffectivenetwork.Ithasbeentheexperienceofmanydiverseeconomies,inbothdevelopinganddevelopedcountries,thatsuccessfuldevelopmentofhigh‐capacity,efficientandcost‐effectiveInternetinfrastructureshasfollowedfromderegulationoftheindustryinfavourofamoreself‐regulatoryandcompetitiveenvironment.

Industry,workinginanenvironmentofvibrantcompetitionatnationalandgloballevels,hasensuredthatthenetworkhasgrowninthemostefficientandeffectiveway,deliveringthebestcontentandapplicationstoitsusersatthebestpossibleprice.Civilsocietyhasalsoacted,oftenataninternationallevel,toensurethattheInternetisputtothebestpossibleusesinservinghumandevelopment,whilebeingdevelopedandgovernedinawaywhichisopen,accessibleandsecure.Themultistakeholder,bottomuppolicymakingproceduresdevelopedbyvariousnon‐governmentalorganizations,formalandinformal,hasprovedtobeasuccessfulmodelwhichencouragestheuniqueinnovativecapacityoftheinternet,withouttheconstraintswhichwouldbeimposedbytheheavierstructuresofthemoretraditionalinternationalorganisations.

8.Andwhataboutthefuture?

IPv6representsaturningpointfortheInternet,butonewhichwilltakeanother5to10yearstofullymaterialize.SomemayseethistransitionalperiodasanopportunitytoproposealternativemechanismsforthemanagementofeitherIPv6addressallocations,orindeedtheInternetitself.Howeverintheabsenceofanyevidenceorconsensusthatanewapproachwouldbebeneficial,orthatchallengesrelatedtoIPv6adoptionandtransitioncannotbemanagedthroughthesystems,theRIRswillcontinuetooperateasproven,openandinclusive,multi‐stakeholderorganizations;indeedassomeofthebestexamplesofeffectiveInternetGovernancewhichcanbefoundintheworldtoday. 18http://www.isoc.org/news/4.shtml