I don't write here often, but I think today is a very special day. This afternoon, at a nice ceremony of important Internet leaders, the last IPv4 address blocks from the global pool of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority were handed out to the five regional registries. The clock has been ticking long enough, but today it has ticked its last tick. From now on, all existing IPv4 addresses will be allocated from regional registries, and predictions ranging from six months to a year for how long those registries realistically have have emerged.
IPv6 has been long enough coming. It's ready, tested and here to take the stage. It's modern, beautiful and exquisitely designed. It's future-proof, feature-packed and awe-inspiring. While I've been vocal about it to some of you to the point of actually being annoying, most of you understand the significant gist of what I just wrote. In order for the Internet to grow, there must be a continued supply of IP addresses. Those addresses cannot be IPv4 addresses forever. There is no crisis today, not tomorrow, not next week ... but soon. We need to be conscious of IPv6 when we invest in anything from this point onward. For ISPs, hardware makers, etc, to ignore it is irresponsible. We must make sure IPv6 is chosen where it is available when making choices to buy. It's easy to see that at this point, only fools will leave the inevitable to the last minute; many will, of course, and I hope for their sakes that they choose a time optimal for their enjoyment of continued business. But from now on, to all of us, IPv6 is the new IP of the Internet. So, to the deployment, use and enjoyment of IPv6, to the great engineers that made it happen, and to all of the many wonderful things it will do for us and the Internet of the future ... Cheers! Sabahattin
