On Tue, Jan 13, 2004 at 11:21:33AM +0000, Paul Robinson wrote: > > Not around me it isn't. In the UK, even with cable modem providers, I have > non-NAT - as they are known in the European ISP industry "RIPE addresses" - > and although I've installed NAT myself to enable quick and easy WiFi access > using the one IP address, there is nothing stopping me taking that box out > and having proper IPv4 direct to my NIC.
Which is one of the drivers. Most ISPs still only give 1, often dynamic, IPv4 address. As soon as you have multiple home devices (I now have 11 different MAC addresses observed on my home router since last summer) you hit the problem. > In addition, many, many broadband ISPs in the UK will not only provide IP > addresses, but will happily route subnets providing you fill in the form > explaing why you want the addresses, so they can give the justification to > RIPE if they need to apply for more address space. I don't think it's that many. And as you say, the big ISPs like BT who will only give 1 IP (and indeed who will flat out refuse to support you if you replace your USB DSL modem with a "real" DSL router) are the ones that make up the vast majority of UK broadband. Yes some people can go to smaller ISPs and find those that give subnets (I found one that gives a /29 for free), but these are the minority. One beauty of IPv6 is not having to go back to RIPE to ask for more addresses; you get enough to start with to avoid the paperwork cycles; that's some saving in its own right. I think protocols should continue to be developed that are as far as possible IP independent. This will help transition; stopping work on IPv4 seems inapprpriate given IPv4 will be here for 20+ years still. But there are specific IPv6-only properties that are very interesting, like CGA, or resilience to port scanning, that should be taken advantage of asap. Tim
