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Comparison of Proposals for Next Version of IP

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Network Working Group                                          T. Dixon
Request for Comments: 1454                                         RARE
                                                               May 1993


             Comparison of Proposals for Next Version of IP

Status of this Memo

   This memo provides information for the Internet community.  It does
   not specify an Internet standard.  Distribution of this memo is
   unlimited.

Abstract

   This is a slightly edited reprint of RARE Technical Report
   (RTC(93)004).

   The following is a brief summary of the characteristics of the three
   main proposals for replacing the current Internet Protocol. It is not
   intended to be exhaustive or definitive (a brief bibliography at the
   end points to sources of more information), but to serve as input to
   the European discussions on these proposals, to be co-ordinated by
   RARE and RIPE. It should be recognised that the proposals are
   themselves "moving targets", and in so far as this paper is accurate
   at all, it reflects the position at the 25th IETF meeting in
   Washington, DC. Comments from Ross Callon and Paul Tsuchiya on the
   original draft have been incorporated.  Note that for a time the term
   "IPv7" was use to mean the eventual next version of IP, but that the
   same term was closely associated with a particilar proposal, so the
   term "IPng" is now used to identify the eventual next generation of
   IP.

   The paper begins with a "generic" discussion of the mechanisms for
   solving problems and achieving particular goals, before discussing
   the proposals invidually.

1. WHY IS THE CURRENT IP INADEQUATE?

   The problem has been investigated and formulated by the ROAD group,
   but briefly reduces to the following:

      - Exhaustion of IP Class B Address Space.

      - Exhaustion of IP Address Space in General.

      - Non-hierarchical nature of address allocation leading to flat
        routing space.



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