Address space for individuals
Per Gregers Bilse bilse at EU.net
Thu May 19 15:16:54 CEST 1994
Ignoring for a minute that I don't work with local-ir stuff in any way or capacity, I find it odd the lengths ``we'' (Internet NICs, registries, providers) go to, to help and support people and organisations who don't want to play our game, ie connect to the global Internet, anyway. This is even more so, given the address space depletion (although opinions wrt this problem varies). Individuals or micro companies who want to connect a couple of PCs on a LAN can renumber the day they connect. Larger companies who clearly state that they have no intention of connecting, and want numbers for closed networks, don't need unique numbers (this has been discussed elsewhere recently). Medium size companies who intend to connect (later) -- no problem, of course they can get official numbers. But is it completely outrageous to consider unique/official IP numbers to be the property of the global, connected Internet? And categorically rule that they will only be issued to members of this crowd, ie those that actually (intend to) connect? "Intend to connect" ... A sledgehammer approach (nothing new in this, but I think it bears repeating): Organisations get allocations as usual, with the usual justifications for size etc. If somebody don't use (ie connect and route) at least part of their allocation within, say, 12 months, they have forfeited their chance. Their numbers may be re-assigned to somebody else, who now has first call. If the original requestor wants to connect at a later stage, they'll have to renumber. Considering the "interesting" future ahead of us, when IP numbers become really scarce, I don't see any reason to dole them out right, left and center to people who don't intend to use them. Unless we want to start building the future market of IP numbers; I wonder what a /16 will sell for around the turn of the century. -- bilse <bilse at EU.net> +31 20 592 5109 (dir: 5110); fax +31 20 592 5163 ``We used to ! but now we @'' (jensen)
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