[arin-ppml] Restricting IPv4 allocations by device type

[Scott Leibrand]

My iPhone is definitely a workstation, and sometimes a router/server as 
well.  But what about my previous phone, that was incapable of providing 
a "general-purpose computing service", and limited to a handful of 
functions "embedded" into it by the carrier?

Such definitions are hard to get exactly right.  And there are more 
devices out there, such as not-quite-smart phones, than there are IPv4 
addresses remaining.  (A quick search indicates there are about twice as 
many total handsets, globally, as remaining IPv4 addresses).  So, a few 
large requests, from any number of sources (carriers, in this example) 
could easily exhaust the remaining IPv4 space.

Given the large variety of different potential sources of 
run-on-the-bank early exhaustion, I am currently of the opinion that 
attempting to narrowly define which classes of devices are eligible for 
IPv4 addressing will be ineffective in preventing such a run.  In fact, 
attempting to place restrictions could encourage applicants to apply 
early, to get in before the new policy.

At some point in the near future, we're going to hit the point where 
IPv4 addresses are no longer freely available from the RIRs.  At that 
point, the transfer and "leasing" markets will take over, and behavior 
will switch from "addresses are free" to "IPv4 addresses cost money" 
activities.  In my opinion, the ability of policy to significantly delay 
that switch is quite limited.  The best we can hope for is an orderly 
and predictable transition.

-Scott

James Hess wrote:
> On Sat, Oct 10, 2009 at 2:05 PM, Scott Leibrand <scottleibrand at gmail.com> wrote:
>   
>> Is a mobile phone a workstation?
>>
>> Scott
>>     
>
> Absolutely... why wouldn't they be?
>
> --
> -J
>