[arin-ppml] "Millions of Internet Addresses Are Lying Idle" (slashdot)

[bmanning at vacation.karoshi.com]

> However, the larger problem is that this is the entirely wrong
> definition of "in use".  Let's take a simple example of a University.
> They may have wired dorm rooms, students with laptops, and wifi
> enabled classrooms.  If you ping at 11AM, the classroom IP's respond,
> and the dorm ones do not, if you ping at 11PM, the dorm rooms
> respond, the classrooms do not.  And if you ping at 12 noon when
> they are all walking to lunch almost none of either respond.
> 
> This survey equates in use to be having a computer actively using
> it and responding at the time of the probe.  I would submit that
> is a very poor definition.  The dorm room block and classroom blocks
> are both "in use" every day, and unfortunately the technology
> involved does not make it possible to move back and forth.


	actually, the methodology used does address this concern.
	there are multiple probes over time.  firewalls and NAT
	are problematic in this study.

--bill