On 2010.03.04 20:55, Owen DeLong wrote: > Folks, I know that IPv4 is down to bread crumbs. > > That's why I'm ready for IPv6 and hopefully the rest of you are or will be > soon. > > However, let's consider how much address space is saved by going from /30 to > /31 > on every point-to-point link in the internet... > > Let's assume that there are ~1 million routers on the internet with an > average of 8 > point to point interfaces. (I think there are probably more like 1/4 million > and the > average is probably more like 2, but, absent real numbers, I'll be > uber-conservative). > > 8 million /30s is 32 million IPs, or, 2 /8s world-wide. > 8 million /31s is 16 million IPs, or, 1 /8 world-wide. > > We burn roughly 14 /8s per year in new allocations and assignments. > > So, assuming: > 1. There are actually 8 million point to point links in the > internet > 2. All of them are currently /30s > 3. Absolutely optimum use of addresses for all those links > 4. All of them are converted to /31s > > (none of these assumptions is likely in fact) > > The most we could achieve would be to extend IPv4 freepool lifespan > by roughly 26 days. Given the amount of effort sqeezing useful > addresses out of such a conversion would require, I proffer that > such effort is better spent moving towards IPv6 dual stack on your > networks.
Owen, thanks for this picturesque description. Whoever recommended the FAQ, add this equation into it. I *wholeheartedly* agree with Owen's assessment. Even spending time trying to calculate a rebuttal to his numbers is better spent moving toward dual-stack ;) Nice. Steve ps. and I'm just tiny. I just enjoy seeing reports of the big boys moving forward, and watching my v6 routing table grow...
