RFC 2071 (rfc2071) - Page 3 of 14

Network Renumbering Overview: Why would I want it and what is it anyway?

RFC 2071              Network Renumbering Overview          January 1997


   can help automate the assignment and maintenance of host names, as
   well as the 'borrowed' addresses required for routing-level
   connectivity.

   The PIER Working Group is developing procedures and guidelines for
   detailed renumbering of specific technologies, such as routers [6].
   PIER WG documents are intended to suggest methods both for making
   existing networks prepared for convenient renumbering, as well as for
   operational transition to new addressing schemes.

   Also, in many instances, organizations who have never connected to
   the Internet, yet have been using arbitrary blocks of addresses since
   their construction, have different and unique challenges.

3. Network Renumbering Defined

   In the simplest of definitions, the exercise of renumbering a network
   consists of changing the IP host addresses, and perhaps the network
   mask, of each device within the network that has an address
   associated with it. This activity may or may not consist of all
   networks within a particular domain, such as FOO.EDU, or networks
   which comprise an entire autonomous system.

   Devices which may need to be renumbered, for example, are networked
   PC's, workstations, printers, file servers, terminal servers, and
   routers. Renumbering a network may involve changing host parameters
   and configuration files which contain IP addresses, such as
   configuration files which contain addresses of DNS and other servers,
   addresses contained in SNMP [7] management stations, and addresses
   configured in access control lists. While this is not an all-
   inclusive list, the PIER working group is making efforts to compile
   documentation to identify these devices in a more detailed fashion.

   Network renumbering need not be sudden activity, either; in most
   instances, an organization's upstream service provider(s) will allow
   a grace period where both the "old" addresses and the "new" addresses
   may be used in parallel.

4. Reasons for Renumbering

   The following sections discuss particular reasons which may
   precipitate network renumbering, and are not presented in any
   particular order of precedence.  They are grouped into reasons that
   primarily reflect decisions made in the past, operational
   requirements of the present, or plans for the future.






Ferguson & Berkowitz         Informational