RFC 1744 (rfc1744) - Page 1 of 12

Observations on the Management of the Internet Address Space

Network Working Group                                          G. Huston
Request for Comments: 1744                                        AARNet
Category: Informational                                    December 1994


                   Observations on the Management of
                       the Internet Address Space

Status of this Memo

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

Abstract

   This memo examines some of the issues associated with the current
   management practices of the Internet IPv4 address space, and examines
   the potential outcomes of these practices as the unallocated address
   pool shrinks in size.  Possible modifications to the management
   practices are examined, and potential outcomes considered.  Some
   general conclusions are drawn, and the relevance of these conclusions
   to the matter of formulation of address management policies for IPv6
   are noted.

1.  Introduction

   The area explicitly examined here is the allocatable globally unique
   IPv4 address space.  Explicitly this includes those address groups
   uniquely assigned from a single comprehensive address pool to
   specific entities which are then at liberty to assign individual
   address values within the address group to individual hosts.  The
   address group is handled by the technology as a single network
   entity.

   At present these addresses are allocated to entities on a freely
   available, first-come, first-served allocation basis, within the
   scope of a number of administrative grounds which attempt to direct
   the allocation process to result in rational use of the space, and
   attempt to achieve a result of a level of equity of availability that
   is expressed in a sense of multi-national "regions" [1].

   In examining the current management policies in further detail it is
   useful to note that the IPv4 address space presents a number of
   attributes in common with other public space resources, and there are
   parallels in an economic analysis of this resource which include:





Huston