INTERNET PROTOCOL (IP) ADDRESSES
Introduction
Internet Protocol (IP) addresses are the unique numbers assigned to every computer or device that is connected to the Internet. After years of rapid Internet expansion, the pool of available unallocated addresses for the original Internet Protocol, known as IPv4, has been fully allocated to Internet Services Providers (ISPs) and user.
What is an IP Address?
“IP address” is a shorter way of saying “Internet Protocol address.” IP addresses are the numbers assigned to computer network interfaces. Although we use names to refer to the things we seek on the Internet, computers translate these names into numerical addresses so they can send data to the right location.
Why do we need IP Addresses?
IP addresses are the numbers that enable our computers, servers, telephones, cameras, printers and
sensors to communicate with each other. Without IP addresses, we would have to copy data from
device to device manually, using CDs, DVDs, hard disks or flash storage, such as a USB drive.
What is the difference between a private IP Address and unique IP Address?
At a protocol level there is no difference between the addresses, but organizationally, private
addresses are distinct because they can only be used within a single administration and not on the
wider Internet. This is because private addresses are set aside for use by anyone without any global
coordination. You can know an address is from a block of private addresses if it:
- Begins with 10. (i.e. 10.0.0.0 through 10.255.255.255)
- Begins with 172.16. through 172.31.
- Begins with 192.168.
How many IP Adresses do I use?
Typically, a residential Internet connection is assigned one unique address and uses a block of private addresses to number each computer, printer, video game console, or smartphone connected to it. But while this address is assigned to the connection we use, the services and peers we communicate with on the Internet also have addresses.
What do IP Address look like?
There are currently two different versions of IP addresses in use—IPv4 and IPv6. The two versions look quite different from one another.
Pv4 addresses are written as a string of four numbers
between 0 and 255, separated by dots. A typical IPv4 address looks like this: 192.0.2.53.
IPv6 addresses are considerably longer strings of numbers, so they are written using hexadecimals,
which can fit more information into fewer digits. Colons separate the segments of IPv6 addresses instead
of dots; for example, 2001:0db8::53
What is IPv4's History?
It was developed in the early 1980s and served the global Internet community for more than three decades. But IPv4 is a finite space, and after years of rapid Internet expansion, its pool of available unallocated addresses has been fully allocated to Internet services providers (ISPs) and users.
What is IPv6's History?
Standardized in 1996, IPv6 was developed as the next-generation Internet Protocol. One of its main goals was to massively increase the number of IP addresses available. The first production allocations were made to ISPs and other network operators in 1999, and by June 2006, IPv6 was successful enough that important test networks shut down. They were no longer needed.
But just how large is IPv6? IPv6 is significantly bigger than IPv4. Compared to IPv4’s 32-bit address space of four billion addresses, IPv6 has a 128-bit address space, which is 340 undecillion addresses. That’s not a number you hear every day!
What happened to IPv5?
It was an experimental protocol and is no longer used, although some of the concepts it developed have been incorporated into other protocols.
How are IP Addresses distributed?
IP addresses are distributed in a hierarchical system. As the operator of Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) functions, ICANN allocates IP address blocks to the five Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) around the world.
How were IPv4 Addresses distributed?
IANA assigns addresses based on globally agreed-upon rules, or policies. The key policy elements for IPv4 were:
- RIRs received IPv4 blocks in /8 units from IANA.
- RIRs could receive an additional block when they had just one half of a block left.
- The number of /8 units RIRs received was based on a formula established by IANA.
The regular policy
The regular policy contained a formula for determining when an RIR qualified for additional IPv4 address space and how much address space the RIR could receive.
Defining the variables
The variables in the policy’s formula were available space and necessary space. All an RIR’s IPv4 address space was considered available for allocation unless the space was a reservation that would expire within the coming three months, or was fragmented.
Special facts
The policy also allowed special facts to be taken into account when calculating how much additional
IPv4 address space an RIR qualified to receive. These special facts might have applied if there was a
new regional policy or external factors, such as new infrastructure, new services within the region,
technological advances or legal issues.
The Calculation
Once this data was collected, the calculation could go forward.
Necessary Space = Average Number of Addresses Allocated Monthly during the Past 6 Months x Length of Period in Months
Although each RIR provided all this data to ICANN’s IANA Department with its request, most of the data was published every day in a standard format log file, and was mirrored on the IANA FTP site.
How are IPv6 Addresses distributed?
ICANN’s Board of Directors ratified the policy governing the allocation of IPv6 address space to RIRs in September 2006. The key policy elements are:
- RIRs receive IPv6 blocks in /12 units.
- RIRs can receive an additional block when they have just one half of a block left.
- The number of /12 units RIRs receive is based on a formula established by IANA.
The policy details
To qualify for additional IPv6 address space, the RIR must have less than 50 percent of a /12 left, or it must not have enough space to meet its members’ needs for the coming nine months.
Defining the variables
The variables in the policy’s formula are available space and necessary space. All an RIR’s IPv6 address space is considered available for allocation unless the space is a reservation that will expire within the next three months, or is fragmented.
Special needs and calculation
Special needs and the calculation determining how much IPv6 space an RIR needs are handled the same in IPv6 as they were for IPv4.
Who sets these policies?
These distribution policies are developed in the RIRs’ regional public policy forums. The process is very similar to the consensus-based, bottom-up approach used to develop other ICANN policies. The RIRs allocate addresses to ISPs and other network operators according to the policies developed in these public policy forums, in which representatives from industry, governments, and civil societies participate.
Why does every device need an IP Address?
IP addresses are the numbers that identify devices connected to a network. If your device only needs access to a local network, it can be identified with an address that has only a local context. These are called private addresses. But when your device needs to access services on other networks, it needs to use a unique address. In some cases, this is done by translating a private address into a unique address at the border between your network and your ISP’s network. This technology is called Network Address Translation, or NAT.
Are the internet and its technology ready for the transition to IPv6?
Most of the existing systems that we use today already support IPv6. If you’re using a laptop, odds are, it supports IPv6 and has done so for quite some time. IPv6 is not dramatically different on the network from IPv4, and the machines we used 30 years ago were capable of running IPv6.
Will I be able to access the whole internet as IPv6 use becomes more common?
Don’t worry—we’re not doomed. While an IPv4-only machine cannot communicate directly with an IPv6-only machine, there are a number of ways to get them to communicate when using protocol translators.
How can I get IPv6 Connectivity?
If you’re an average home user, your ISP will initiate the transition from IPv4 to IPv6 on your network. In most cases, you won’t have to do anything. If you are required to change something, such as your Internet router, your ISP will let you know.
Glossary
ASO AC - Address Supporting Organization Address Council
ccNSO - Country Code Names Supporting Organization
DSL - Digital Subscriber Line
GNSO - Generic Names Supporting Organization
IANA - Internet Assigned Numbers Authority
ICANN - Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers
ISP - Internet Service Provider
LAN - Local Area Network
NAT - Network Address Translation
NRO - Number Resource Organization
PAN - Personal Area Network
RIR - Regional Internet Registry
VoIP - Voice over Internet Protocol
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