[ppml] ":" - Re: Proposed Policy: 4-Byte AS Number Policy Proposal

[Geoff Huston]

At 08:35 AM 13/12/2005, Edward Lewis wrote:
>At 8:44 -0500 12/12/05, Member Services wrote:
>
> >Policy Proposal Name:
> >
> >          4-Byte AS Number Policy Proposal
> >
> >Author: Geoff Huston
>
> >          Terminology
> >
> >          "2-byte only AS Numbers" refers to AS numbers in the range 0 -
> >          65535
>
>Should that be "0:0 - 0:65536"?


65536 is 10000000000000000 (i.e. it takes 17 bits) while 65535 is 
1111111111111111 (16 all 1's). The highest number in the 2byte space is 65535.



> >Rationale:
>
> >          [3]  BGP Support for Four-octet AS Number Space,
> >               draft-ietf-idr-as4bytes-12.txt
>
>The syntax "a:b" does not appear in that document.  Is it defined
>elsewhere?  The use of the ":" as separator bothers me as that is
>used in IPv6 address notation.


The reason why the notation note appears in the proposal was because it is 
not used in the ietf document, and frankly the concept of using decimal 
numbers up to 4 billion did not excite me. This proposed notation is a 
convenience - nothing more.


>I don't mean to question the sanity of the choice in this forum, I am
>wondering if the decision is documented elsewhere.  (Obviously, I do
>question the sanity of it, but I don't mean to make that a thread
>here, nor am I strongly opposed to the choice.)

It is not documented elsewhere, no.

regards,

   Geoff