On 2010.03.04 20:55, Owen DeLong wrote:
Folks, I know that IPv4 is down to bread crumbs.
That's why I'm ready for IPv6 and hopefully the rest of you are or will be soon.
However, let's consider how much address space is saved by going from /30 to /31 on every point-to-point link in the internet...
Let's assume that there are ~1 million routers on the internet with an average of 8 point to point interfaces. (I think there are probably more like 1/4 million and the average is probably more like 2, but, absent real numbers, I'll be uber-conservative).
8 million /30s is 32 million IPs, or, 2 /8s world-wide. 8 million /31s is 16 million IPs, or, 1 /8 world-wide.
We burn roughly 14 /8s per year in new allocations and assignments.
So, assuming: 1. There are actually 8 million point to point links in the internet 2. All of them are currently /30s 3. Absolutely optimum use of addresses for all those links 4. All of them are converted to /31s
(none of these assumptions is likely in fact)
The most we could achieve would be to extend IPv4 freepool lifespan by roughly 26 days. Given the amount of effort sqeezing useful addresses out of such a conversion would require, I proffer that such effort is better spent moving towards IPv6 dual stack on your networks.
Owen, thanks for this picturesque description. Whoever recommended the FAQ, add this equation into it. I *wholeheartedly* agree with Owen's assessment. Even spending time trying to calculate a rebuttal to his numbers is better spent moving toward dual-stack ;) Nice. Steve ps. and I'm just tiny. I just enjoy seeing reports of the big boys moving forward, and watching my v6 routing table grow...