The Number resource organization ( NRO ) has recently announced that the current version of the Internet Protocol, IPv4, is now fully exhausted.
On Monday, January 31, the Internet Authority(IANA) allocated two sets of IPv4 addresses to APNIC, the regional authority of the ASIA PACIFIC which cause the allocation of the remaining five /8s sets of IPv4 to the five the Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) as per the global policy. That means IANA’s stock of IPv4 is now fully depleted.
IP addresses are unique online identifiers made up of four number groups, allowing computers to communicate with each other around the world. The Internet is built around version four of the IP addressing scheme (IPv4) which can accommodate around four billion addresses.
IPv4 provides for approximately 4 billion addresses, divided to 256 /8 primary allocation blocks. The depletion of the IPv4 allocation pool has been a concern since the late 1980s, when the Internet started to experience dramatic growth.
IPv6 is the “next generation” of the Internet Protocol, providing a hugely expanded address space and allowing the Internet to grow into the future.
“Billions of people world wide use the Internet for everything from sending tweets to paying bills. The transition to IPv6 from IPv4 represents an opportunity for even more innovative applications without the fear of running out of essential Internet IP addresses,” said Vice President of IANA Elise Gerich.
Adoption of IPv6 is now vital for all Internet stakeholders. The RIRs have been working with network operators at the local, regional, and global level for more than a decade to offer training and advice on IPv6 adoption and ensure that everyone is prepared for the exhaustion of IPv4.
Via eWeek Europe | Know more @Wikipedia
Image credit: developingsecurity.com
