[ppml] Policy Proposal 2007-15: Authentication ofLegacyResources

On Mon, 30 Jul 2007, David Conrad wrote:

> > ipv4 has no future supply, only future zero-sum.
> 
> IPv4, like land and gold and any other indestructible resource, isn't
> magically going away on when the free pool is exhausted. All that will
> occur is the policy regime that has existed since around 1995 will be
> forced to change since the underlying free pool that policy regime was
> created to manage will no longer exist.

Yes, exactly:  But the free pool also won't ever go away completely.  
There will continue to be addresses blocks returned, and those addresses
can then be re-delegated. Just like Redsox season tickets. A steady
state will probably develop for a while.  Rationing can spread the pain
of depletion out over a longer period.

The notion that ipv4 is a dead-end is just wrong. The long lifecycle
isn't too hard to envision:  Eventually, given enough time, the rate of
return of addresses will exceed the demand for new addresses.  Even
later, the RIR's will probably think maintaining the registration of
IPv4 a pitiful and useless burden, and seek to rid themselves of it.
Someday, in the far distant future, all address space might be returned.  
I rather doubt it, though. I think there will be someone who will insist
on IPv4. Someone in the Air Force is still using HPUX 5.  Museums maybe
the last users.  And that's where the registration of IPv4 will probably
end up.

Those who think they can speed IPv6 by wrecking IPv4, deceive themselves
and cause trouble to others.

		--Dean


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