RFC 1744 (rfc1744) - Page 1 of 12
Observations on the Management of the Internet Address Space
Alternative Format: Original Text Document
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