Things that need to be addressed

[Steve Pierce]

Here is a problem to consider. More and more hosts are doing what I call
super-hosting. That is 20,000+ domains on a cluster with one public IP
address but they will need unique routable addresses for the cluster for
management. Not a problem, 10 to 15 IP address can handle the whole cluster
and this is exactly the sort of resource conservation we are looking for
when it comes to IP addresses.

The problem is if just one of those 20,000 domains will do something stupid
to either get themselves banned on MAPS/ORBS or pop up on a net-nanny filter
or some other block it kills it for everyone else. Often times the blocks
are on the IP address not on the domain name. So the entire cluster ends up
getting banned. So the ISP immediately fires the customer and shuts the site
down but they are left with the wreckage. So then the ISP spends months
trying to get off the list and many times is unsuccessful from getting the
filters and blocks entirely removed.

It would sort of like you being a small telephone company and you have been
issued the 989-555 exchange. Then some nut starts calling in bomb threats
from 989-555-1876 and so the feds shut down that phone line. In the
meantime, you find out your entire block of 989-555 phone numbers has been
disconnected all because one crackpot did you in.

No matter how good you are at policing your customers, someone will
eventually do something stupid, anyone in the hosting business or an ISP
will attest to that. How many times has AOL had to shutdown an account
because they Spam? 1000's.

So that means higher end and even mid-range customers are starting to learn
about this problem so they insist that their hosting provider give them
their own IP address for their own domain to keep them from being locked
out. So even though the single cluster can hold 20,000 domains it now has to
host several hundred or more IP addresses. Not a problem for the cluster but
it does pose a problem in trying to get more allocated addresses.

We also need to look at collocation services. There needs to be a way for
companies that may only have 3 or 4 incoming data lines can still be hosting
500 plus pieces of equipment in a single facility. Usually each collocation
customer want 2 to 4 ip addresses so then can setup separate addresses for
DNS, SMTP and Web. Hosting companies that have a Class A don't have a
problem but for the small upstart, this can be a concern. Even a small
hosting company can still have a legitimate need for several thousand IP
addresses at just one facility.

Finally with the consolidation that we have seen with different net
companies buying each other up, there would seem to be a need to reclaim IP
address blocks. Some companies though acquisition now have two or more Class
A blocks and have still more B blocks and could even have several hundred or
thousand C blocks. I realize it is a pain in the ass to reconfigure the
equipment after a merger but it is something ARIN should seriously consider
if we hope to extend the life of the current addressing system. A Class A
holder shouldn't be permitted to hold Class C's, should they?

Just some thoughts

 - Steve

Steve Pierce, HDL
Direct: (734) 482-9682
mailto:Steve at HDL.com | http://HDL.com



-----Original Message-----
From: owner-vwp at arin.net [mailto:owner-vwp at arin.net]On Behalf Of
Sweeting, John
Sent: Friday, October 20, 2000 2:02 PM
To: 'Bill Darte'; vwp at arin.net
Subject: RE: Things that need to be addressed


I agree with you Bill, I think we need to show that there is good reason to
have a policy in the first place and your 3 questions are a good start.

-----Original Message-----
From: Bill Darte [mailto:billd at cait.wustl.edu]
Sent: Friday, October 20, 2000 1:51 PM
To: vwp at arin.net
Subject: RE: Things that need to be addressed


>
> Off the top of my head, here are some of the issues we need
> to address:
>
> 1) Exceptions (SSL, POP/IMAP, etc)
> 2) Accounting systems
> 3) Legacy systems
> 4) Net-nanny filters
>
> Let's start with those.
>
> Comments?
>
Perhaps we could review the justification for the discussion first... I
don't mean the principle of conservation...I believe we all agreed to that,
but rather the magnitude of the problem of IP addresses that would be wasted
if NO hosting policy were in place at all.
1. How many addresses ARE being used this way now and 2. what is the slope
of the the utilization curve and 3. What are the potential impacts upon that
utilization rate in the next 3-5 years???

Bill Darte
ARIN AC  Washington University in St. Louis