Alex Bligh <amb@gxn.net> writes:

Sean seems to predicts death of end to end network layer addressing. How about the death of end to end internet? Instead run with a core of IPv4 numbered routers and application layer gateways. Run everything else in private address space. 10.0.0.0/8 has pleny of room.

Alex has followed things closely and has just moved back into the realm of the smart ALG, which is another of my favourite topics. As his message is something I cannot really improve upon, let me just say that I completely agree that for many protocols, his end is a good one, and has the benefit not only of conserving IP addresses to the point that IPv4ever looks likely but also reducing unecessary duplicate traffic. The one clarification, though, is that running everything in private address space does not imply the end of end-to-end Internetworking; it is dropping in smart ALGs that means the death of the inefficient end-to-end nature of several popular protocols. Sean.