Previously, in part 1 of this series, you learned the basics of IPv6 address construction and format. Now you can complement that information with this peek into the various types of IPv6 addresses; critical knowledge for anyone looking to understand the mechanics of the new Internet protocol. Go ahead, I know you want to get started:

Classifying IPv6 Addresses

As with IPv4, an IPv6 address serves as an identifier for an interface or group of interfaces. Also like IPv4, IPv6 addresses come in several types, based on how they represent those interfaces. IPv6 has three types of addresses:

• Unicast: An IPv6 unicast address is used to identify a single interface. Packets sent to a unicast address are delivered to that specific interface.
• Anycast: IPv6 anycast addresses identify groups of interfaces, which typically belong to different nodes. Packets destined to an anycast address are sent to the nearest interface in the group, as determined by the active routing protocols.
• Multicast: An IPv6 a multicast address also identifies a group of interfaces, again typically belonging to different nodes. Packets sent to a multicast address are delivered to all interfaces in the group.

There are no broadcast addresses in IPv6. The functions served by broadcast addresses in IPv4 are provided by multicast addresses in IPv6.

The high-order (left-most) bits of an IPv6 address are used to identify its type, as shown here:

Address Type                  Binary Prefix                       Hex Prefix
Unspecified                   0000...0 (128 bits)                 ::/128
Loopback                      000...01 (128 bits)                 ::1/128
IPv4 Mapped                   00...01111111111111111 (96 bits)    ::FFFF/96
Multicast                     11111111                            FF00::/8
Link-Local Unicast            1111111010                          FE80::/10
Unique Local Unicast (ULA)    1111110                             FC00::/7
Global Unicast	(everything else)

Anycast addresses are taken from the global unicast pool. Anycast and unicast addresses cannot be distinguished based on format.

Multicast Addresses

One of the primary changes from IPv4 to IPv6 is that multicast addressing support is improved and expanded in IPv6. Here’s a figure that illustrates the format for IPv6 multicast addresses:

IPv6 Multicast Address Format

All network operators need to have a basic understanding of multicast address format and function when working with IPv6. Because there are no broadcast addresses in IPv6; multicast is used in its place, in addition to all of the ways multicast was used in IPv4. The three fields that you must be most familiar with are indicator, scope, and Group ID. These are the fields used by all IPv6 multicast traffic; including routing protocol messages.

The indicator is always 11111111 (FF in hex notation) because this is the high-order bit pattern that indicates that an IPv6 address is a multicast address.

Scope limits the transmission of multicast packets to one of the defined IPv6 scopes. The four possible values are:

• node-local (1)
• link-local (2)
• site-local (5)
• global (E)

Group ID refers to a multicast group within the given scope. Some examples of assigned multicast groups are:

• all nodes (1) – valid scope of 1 or 2
• all-routers (2) – valid scopes are 1, 2 or 5
• OSPF Designated Routers (6) – only valid with scope of 2
• NTP (101) – valid in any scope

Here are a few examples of multicast addresses, notice both the scope and group ID of each:

FF02::1      All nodes on the same link as the sender, this address replaces the broadcast function in IPv4.
FF02::6      All OSPF DRs on the same link as the sender.
FF05::101    All NTP servers on the same site as the sender.

To learn more about IPv6 multicast addresses, see: RFC 2375 “IPv6 Multicast Address Assignments,” RFC 3306 “Unicast-Prefix-based IPv6 Multicast Addresses,” and RFC 3307 “Allocation Guidelines for IPv6 Multicast Addresses.”

Global Unicast Addresses

As with IPv4, unicast addresses are the most common type of IPv6 address you will work with. Because of the abundance of addresses available with IPv6, it is very likely that virtually every machine attached to your network will have at least one global unicast address assigned to each interface. (Read that sentence again, if you don’t mind.)

Because of this, all IPv6 address space not currently specified for another purpose is reserved for use as global unicast addresses. Only a single /3 is currently allocated for use however. The IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) has assigned binary prefix 001 (hex prefix 2000::/3) to IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority) for use on the Internet. This means that all valid global unicast addresses begin with the 2000::/3 prefix, for now.

The format for a typical IPv6 Global Unicast address is illustrated here:

Global Unicast IPv6 Address Format

• Global Routing Prefix: The prefix assigned to a site. Typically this is hierarchically structured as it passes from IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority) to the Regional Internet Registry (RIR) to an ISP (Internet Service Provider) or LIR (Local Internet Registry) and then to a customer or a specific customer location. In each of these transactions, a smaller prefix is assigned downstream – creating the hierarchy.
• Subnet ID: The prefix assigned to a particular link or LAN within the site. In the case of a /48 being assigned to a site, there are 16 bits available for Subnet IDs; this allows a maximum of 65,535 /64 subnet prefixes at that location!
• Interface ID: All unicast IPv6 addresses (except those which begin with 000) are required by RFC 4291 “IPv6 Addressing Architecture” to have a 64-bit interface identifier in Modified Extended Unique Identifier-64 (MEUI-64) format. Interface IDs must be unique within a subnet prefix and are used to identify interfaces on a link. Because of this, /64 prefixes are the smallest common subnet you will use in IPv6.

For more information on Modified EUI-64 formatted interface IDs, see section 2.5.1 and Appendix A in RFC 4291 “IPv6 Addressing Architecture.

Special IPv6 Addresses

If you re-examine the table of address types near the beginning of this post, you can see there are several special addresses and address groups within IPv6. Some of these will be familiar to you from your work with IPv4 addressing, and some are new in IPv6:

• Unspecified address (::/128): This all-zeros address refers to the host itself when the host does not know it’s own address. The unspecified address is typically used in the source field by a device seeking to have its IPv6 address assigned.
• Loopback address (::1/128): IPv6 has a single address for the loopback function, instead of a whole block as is the case in IPv4.
• IPv4-Mapped addresses (::FFFF/96): A /96 prefix leaves 32 bits, exactly enough to hold an embedded IPv4 address. IPv4-Mapped IPv6 addresses are used to represent an IPv4 node’s address as an IPv6 address. This address type was defined to help with the transition from IPv4 to IPv6.
• Link-Local unicast addresses (FE80::/10): As the name implies, Link-Local addresses are unicast addresses to be used on a single link. Packets with a Link-Local source or destination address will not be forwarded to other links. These addresses are used for neighbor discovery, automatic address configuration and in circumstances when no routers are present.
• Unique local unicast addresses (FC00::/7): Commonly known as ULA, this group of addresses is for use locally, within a site or group of sites. Although globally unique, these addresses are not routable on the global Internet. This author looks at ULA as a kind of upgraded rfc1918 (private) address space for IPv6.

For some background on IPv4-mapped IPv6 addresses, see RFC 4038 “Application Aspects of IPv6 Transition.” Also, be aware that there may be security risks associated with using IPv4-mapped addresses. See draft-itojun-v6ops-v4mapped-harmful-02, “IPv4-Mapped Addresses on the Wire Considered Harmful” for more information.

For more information on ULA, read RFC 4193 “Unique Local IPv6 Unicast Addresses.”

But Wait, There’s More!

That’s right, we’re only half-way through this 4-part Introducing IPv6 series, so come back next week for Part 3: IPv6 Headers (you guessed it, didn’t you). In the mean time, you can always take a look at some other IPv6 posts here on dp.

(Photo Credit)

Introducing IPv6 | Classifying IPv6 Addresses is a post from don't panic - One Network Arhitect's View of Life, the Internet, and Everything.

I recently read James Altucher‘s (self-published) book I Was Blind But Now I See, and one of the (probably the) most immediately useful take aways for me was his advice for exercising the mind. Specifically his suggestion to write ideas every day, in order to foster creativity and avoid allowing the “idea muscle” to atrophy. For those that have not read Altucher; this is the Mental part of his Daily Practice.

Now I’m a list maker from way back, but I have mostly focused on a couple fairly small areas of list-making. Namely To-Do lists and Goals lists. Not so much on pure Idea lists. At least not nearly as often as James suggests (every day). Up until recently, when I have written an idea list, it was for a very specific, targeted reason – a brainstorming session for a committed task or project. I have never listed ideas just to get the brain juice flowing. I have however seen the power of creative brainstorming put to use, seen the fruits of list making made manifest.

So I dove in (as I often do) and the results are impressive. I started by making a list of potential books to write. This led to a list of potential posts to write. One of the ideas on that second list was “101 ways to foster creativity in yourself.” On Tuesday I started that list of ways to get creativity bubbling; I came up with about 30. But then on Wednesday, when I returned to the list, I added about 140 more ideas! I quickly moved on to other lists. A few days later, I returned to my list of creativity sparkers and attacked it with my left brain; organizing, re-wording, paring down, removing duplicates, etc. I was left with a list of 169 ways to foster creativity, sorted into 9 major themes: Reading, Writing, Watching, Creating, Changing, Exploring, Talking, Taking Breaks and Letting Go.

But there was a problem. A list of 169 ideas is totally unwieldy. It’s long and after playing with several formats, I’m convinced that nobody would actually read the whole list. So I decided to break the list up and cover the items with a bit more narrative, background and detail. Since the practice of list-making-to-spark-creativity was the birth of all the ideas on my list, I’m making the obvious decision to start this unveiling with a post on writing lists. Below you will find 14 ideas for lists you can write, right now, to jump-start your creativity:

Write a list of things you want to do
Write lists of ways to accomplish each of the things you want to do
Write a list of things you know how to do
Write lists of ways to make money from each of those things
Write a list of things you want to learn
Write lists of ways to learn each of the things you want to learn
Write a list of your fears
Write lists of ways to overcome each of your fears
Write a list of things that should change
Write lists of ways to change each of the things you think should change
Write a list of things that should stay the same
Write lists of ways to keep up each of those things
Write a list of your favorite things
Write a list of things about yourself that no one knows

Hopefully these ideas can get you started on your own creativity fueled list making frenzy! Feel free to share your lists, or ideas for more lists, here in the comments (on my blog, or wherever you read this post).

Now the key is to keep doing it. I know that continuing to write new lists every day will be the most rewarding, as well as the hardest, part for me. Hopefully the creativity high will help me stay committed… maybe I need a list of ideas for sticking with my own daily practices?

(Photo Credit)

Sparking Creativity with Lists is a post from don't panic - One Network Arhitect's View of Life, the Internet, and Everything.

IPv6 is becoming a hotter and hotter topic as more and more folks realize its necessity. I know this for several reasons, not the least of which is an ever increasing flow of requests for solid IPv6 information. In trying to find a way to fill this gap, without dedicating all of my off-hours time, I am pursuing multiple avenues. This 4-part series Introducing IPv6 is one of them.

The content I’ll be posting here is adapted from the first chapter of my first book; Day One: Exploring IPv6. This series will provide a quick, vender-agnostic look at the IPv6 protocol, from address length to packet format, and more in between. With it, I hope to provide you with a solid foundation for you to build your IPv6 configuration and operation knowledge on top of. So why don’t you dive right in to part 1:

Understanding IPv6 Addresses

One of the first things you notice when digging into IPv6 is that the addresses look quite different than IPv4 addresses.

The primary difference between IPv4 and IPv6 addresses is length. IPv4 addresses are 32 bits long and IPv6 addresses are 128 bits long. This means that an IPv4 address is made up of 32 1s and 0s while an IPv6 address is made up of 128 of them – 128 binary digits. This massive length forces IPv6 addresses to be written using a different notation than IPv4 addresses and thus makes them very easy to distinguish from IPv4 addresses.

This length and new notation can also make them not so easy to understand though. Here’s a 128-bit IPv6 address in binary notation, the way that they are written inside of IPv6 packets:

0010000000000001000011011011100000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001

If you were to use the dotted-decimal notation that is familiar to us in IPv4 (e.g. 192.0.2.1), you would need to break this 128-bit address into 16, 8-bit sections and the resulting address would look something like this: 32.1.13.184.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.1. That is a little unwieldy to say the least!

Instead, flip that on it’s head and break the address into 8, 16-bit sections as illustrated here:

0010000000000001 0000110110111000 0000000000000000 0000000000000000
0000000000000000 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 0000000000000001

It’s still unwieldy, so since hexadecimal (HEX) notation symbolizes 4 bits in each digit, it is used to compress the address into a more human-readable format. The example below uses the second 16-bits (2nd block) of the IPv6 address above, and shows the binary to hexadecimal conversion.

0000110110111000 --> 0000  1101  1011  1000 --> 0  d  b  8

A 128-bit IPv6 address uses a maximum of 48 digits when written in decimal notation but only 32 digits or less are needed when hex notation is used.

Once converted to hex, each 16-bit segment is delimited by colons (:), this is of course different from IPv4 addresses which use periods (.) to delimit each 8-bit segment when written in decimal format.

When an IPv6 address is written in hex notation, you have the flexibility to shorten the address considerably by reducing the number of zeros displayed. This can be accomplished in two ways:

• Zero Suppression: Because it is known that all 8 segments consist of 16 bits it is possible to remove leading zeros from each section without making the address ambiguous. For example – 0db8 can be written as db8. You (and your routers) know that only leading zeros (not zeros in the middle or end of a segment) can be suppressed and that there must be 4 hex digits in each segment. You can therefore conclude that db8 is the same as 0db8.
• Zero Compression: Similarly, because it is known that each address must be made up of 8 segments, it is possible to compress multiple contiguous segments of all zeros without confusing the address, as long as it is only done once within a single address. When compressing segments a double colon (::) is used. For example, if we were to see 2001:0db8::3f6c, we would know that the :: represents 5 contiguous segments of all zeros, since the address must contain 8 segments in total.

This idea of zero suppression is really not all that foreign; in IPv4 the same method is used. You don’t write 192.000.002.001, but rather 192.0.2.1 – all of the leading zeros are suppressed.

The next example shows our IPv6 address both directly converted to hex and also after all possible zero suppression and compression. You can see how much easier the address is to read after removing the unneeded zeros:

2001:0db8:0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:0001 --> 2001:db8::1

IPv6 Prefixes

Much like IPv4 with CIDR (Classless Inter-Domain Routing), one of the great advantages of IPv6 addressing is its hierarchical structure. IPv6 addresses can be broken into prefixes of varying length and these subnet prefixes are represented with the same ip-address/prefix-length notation used for IPv4 CIDR prefixes. In the case of IPv6:

• ip-address is an IPv6 address in any of the hex notations listed above.
• prefix-length is a decimal value specifying the number of the leftmost bits in the address that make up the prefix.

For example, assuming that the IPv6 address used above is part of a 64-bit prefix, it could be represented in the following ways:

• 2001:0db8:0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:0001/64
• 2001:db8:0:0:0:0:0:1/64
• 2001:db8::1/64

The prefix itself is represented as 2001:db8::/64. And yes, the double colon is required.

Stay Tuned!

I really hope you found this information useful! Now you can dig into the various types of IPv6 addresses in Part 2: Classifying IPv6 Addresses (Hint: There’s more than just Multicast and Unicast). Plus you can always go read the whole book!

Introducing IPv6 | Understanding IPv6 Addresses is a post from don't panic - One Network Arhitect's View of Life, the Internet, and Everything.

Not a super busy year so far, but since I started this I figure I better keep it up – and since NANOG is in a few days, I guess I better post this now…

NANOG 54

• 5 to 8 February 2012
• San Diego, CA
• I’ll be involved in the BCOP session again and might give a lightning talk as well

CableLabs Winter Conference 2012

• 11 to 13 March 2012
• Philadelphia, PA
• I’ll be organizing an IPv6 summit / project meeting on the last day of the conference and may also present results from SETI earlier in the week

Well, that’s all I have this quarter – I do hope to see you at one of these events! I’ll get my second quarter speaking schedule up sometime in early March if all goes well.

Cheers!

Speaking Engagements – 1Q12 is a post from don't panic - One Network Arhitect's View of Life, the Internet, and Everything.

That’s right, don’t panic is turning over a new leaf, starting NOW! =)

Some of you may have read my recent Reckoning 2011 and Resolving for 2012 post, some of you probably have not. In any case, one of my resolutions for 2012 which I included there is to write more. Specifically to post here on dp at least once a week, on average. Just to clarify; the “at least” part means that I hope to exceed this goal and post more than I am committing to, and the “on average” part means that I know some weeks get crazy (or lazy) and so long as I come out with at least 52 new posts here on this blog before the world ends in December – I’ll call myself a success.

There’s one problem. I really don’t think I can post 4+ times a month on strictly technical, Internet related, material. There are several reasons for this doubt:

1. Now that I work at CableLabs my job is much less router jockey then it once was and is now much more technology development and strategic vision.
2. Many of the things I work on day to day are “secret” in one semblance of the word or another and really shouldn’t be shared publicly.
3. Many of the other things I work on have their own forums (standards in the various IETF working groups, address policy on PPML, etc.) and it often feels redundant to re-post my views here.
4. I want to start writing articles for technical journals (online and off) in the near future, so some of my more technical output will go that direction, rather than being posted here.
5. While I am absolutely passionate about Internet technology, I have many other interests as well (most of which I don’t get to enjoy all-day every-day).
6. Network Engineering/Architecture is a very specialized field, and I’d like to provide value for a broader audience, inclusive of all kinds of geeks (because I’m all kinds of geek).

All of this has led me to the conclusion that in order to meet my goal of a post a week, I have to branch out into new topics – probably exposing a little more of my self in the process. I’m good with that, and I hope you are too.

What to Expect

So, what should you expect in the coming weeks and months as I scramble to meet this new goal? Hopefully a lot!

I plan to pull up to the 35,000 foot view a bit more and talk about the things I do outside of work that help make me as happy and successful as I am (I’ll let you judge how I rank). I’ll talk about my views on happiness and success, how I foster positivity and creativity in myself and those around me, and other practical tips for living well. I don’t claim to have all the answers in these areas, or really any answers for that matter. What I can do is tell you what works for me – and hopefully inspire you along the way. Life’s a journey and I want to share a bit more of mine with you.

Don’t get worried if you have been enjoying my blog up until now though. I will still be posting about the Internet and technology here, probably quite often, it just won’t be the only thing you’ll find here anymore. Hopefully any regular readers I may have will enjoy this progression – if you don’t, feel free to let me know!

The primary takeaway for myself is that nothing is off limits anymore. When I created this site it was meant to be a personal weblog, with a set of topics as diverse as my interests. Pretty quickly though I honed in on networking technology, and when I started breaking 100 visits a day I got worried about straying from that topic. I’m taking this opportunity to take back my blog (from myself) and maybe get a little crazy. I hope you enjoy the ride.

A New Leaf for dp is a post from don't panic - One Network Arhitect's View of Life, the Internet, and Everything.

I have to admit, I’m a little late posting this. I started thinking about writing it sometime in November or December and here it is, the end of January, and I’m just now getting to it… Oh well, today is the lunar new year, so we’ll call it right on time, right?

The point of this post is to wrap up 2011 and set the stage for 2012. Kind of a way to take stock and set a course. It’s something I think ought to be done at least once a year but something that I think many of us neglect (myself being a prime offender).

For a long time I’ve been anti-new-year-resolution. Much of this was just me being contrarian (as is often my nature) but my admitted reasoning was that you should constantly set and evaluate goals. That once a year is not enough for this important practice and that I was constantly conscience of my path.

While this is not totally untrue, I see now (perhaps age does bring wisdom) that forcing a full re-evaluation of the course of your life is exceptionally helpful and perhaps truly vital to our own well being and happiness (and thus to those around us as well). You see, I lie to myself. I’m pretty sure you do it to. A large part of it is (from what I can tell) a defense mechanism. Just like you don’t feel every square inch of your body at every moment and you don’t notice smells after they have been in the air for awhile and like us city dwellers who don’t hear the traffic (or even sirens) as we sleep, it appears that we swallow certain feelings, revelations, hopes, dreams, etc. so that they don’t interfere with the important business of staying alive.

This is probably a good thing overall: You don’t want to be worrying about the job you want so much that you can’t do the job you have. You don’t need the depression of past mistakes keeping you from enjoying time with your friends, or children. You don’t want to vacillate on every decision that comes your way, laboring over whether lemons or limes better fit your life plan. You simply can’t be second guessing every choice you make every day, you can’t spend all of your time daydreaming and you can’t dwell constantly on the past. Fact is, you really should spend the vast majority of your time living your life, not planning it (nor worrying about it).

Here’s the rub: If you never address these things, they build up. Unfulfilled desires, uncorrected mistakes, bad choices; none of them ever just go away. Believe me, I know this first hand. So this periodic self-check becomes necessary. We need to stop and consider our lives fully from time to time. What am I doing? Why? What are my true motivations? What has happened in my life since I last asked these questions? Which things have I truly enjoyed? Which would I rather eliminate? What makes me happy? How can I do more of that? The list goes on…

It may be that you are doing exactly what you should be doing; life is great, you’re happy every day, you’re creative and productive, the people around you are having fun, etc. But it’s just as likely that this isn’t true. That there are things you’re doing that don’t make you happy, that aren’t fun, or worse yet; that hurt people (yourself or others). By being completely honest with yourself and truly and fully evaluating the past and present, you can make informed changes for the future. Reducing (and hopefully eliminating) the things that do not make you happy while enhancing all of the things that do is only possible once you’re honest about what those things are.

And so, I have come to believe that the changing of the calendar is indeed a great time for resolving… but only after reckoning.

With that in mind, 2011 was a fascinating year for me: I changed jobs, got divorced and fell in love (twice). I moved from the suburbs to the city and started riding to work (instead of driving). I ended my battle to get ARIN-2010-14 implemented, and started thinking more seriously about my personal content network (which has led to some new research as well). I was interviewed by Juniper, took 16 trips to 13 different cities (many for the first time), joined TheHundred Denver, and was kicked out of Canada (ask me in person sometime). I started speaking more, working less, and spending more time with my kids. I published my second book, co-authored my first Internet-Draft, filed my first patent application, and re-discovered my spirituality. Oh, and I turned 30.

The rest of the details are probably more than you want to know (and likely more than I’m willing to share with you) but you can rest assured that I have taken full stock over this holiday/new year season and am much more aware of who I am, what I want, and how to get it than I ever have been before. It’s not a perfect picture I’m sure, but it’s a hell of a lot clearer than it was.

So what do I plan to do with this new found clarity?

Run with it!

I have decided to foster my spirituality and my creativity. To pay more attention to the things that make me happy and less to the things I once thought I was “supposed” to do. You know those things; they are the ones you think that others expect you to do, the things you think define success, the things that actually have nothing to do with you at all. I also plan to foster the positive relationships in my life, prune the negative ones and to continue to take care of my body.

That brings us to my resolutions (posted here, publicly, to force myself into them):

Write more.

1. Write an average of 1 blog post every week (52 posts in 2012).
2. Self-publish at least one book this year.

Create more and in new ways.

1. Assemble a decent “craft/art box” in the first quarter of 2012, then use it (see 4.1.).
2. Complete at least one project from every issue of Make: received in 2012.
3. File at least 4 patent applications this year.

Exercise more consistently.

1. Ride my bike to work (with a little bus assistance) at least 90% of the days I go into the office.
2. Do push-ups, sit-ups and pull-ups every day (especially when traveling) during 2012.
3. Have sex at least 20 times every month in 2012 (must be over 5m to count).

Be more present with my children.

1. Go to the park at least three times a month with my boys.
2. Do at least two creative projects a month (using the craft box from 2.1.) with my boys.
3. Take at least one trip a month to a museum, zoo or aquarium with my boys.

Stay positive.

1. Identify positive and negative thoughts as often as possible.
2. Avoid negative people (not sad/sick/hurt people, truly negative ones).
3. Post a positive affirmation on Facebook at least once a week.
4. Continue and grow Colorado Love.
5. See 3.3.

Well, that’s all folks. I hope your 2012 is off to a beautiful start! Mine sure is =)

Reckoning 2011 and Resolving for 2012 is a post from don't panic - One Network Arhitect's View of Life, the Internet, and Everything.

As a member of the ARIN Advisory Council (AC), I have to stay up to date on all of the goings on in the world of ARIN policy development (that’s kind of the point of the AC). These policy changes affect many people but are fairly hard to keep track of for most (most engineers find the process boring, political, time-consuming, or all of the above plus worse). So, to help bridge this gap, I am going to start doing semi-regular updates from the ARIN policy process here on dp. My idea (as of now) is to create a kind of template update in this post and then re-use that whenever there are updates to be shared. This will typically be just before and after a Public Policy Meeting (PPM) and whenever any major action is taken by the Board of Trustees (BoT). Expect 4-6 a year.

Today’s update is spurred by a BoT action; several policies have been adopted!

Adopted:

On 16 December 2011 the ARIN Board of Trustees adopted the following policies:

ARIN-2011-8: Combined M&A and Specified Transfers

• In section 8.2, change “… ARIN will work with the resource holder(s) to return, aggregate, or reclaim resources as appropriate via the processes outlined in current ARIN policy (for example, sections 4.6, 4.7, or 12 of the NRPM).” to “…ARIN will work with the resource holder(s) to return, aggregate, transfer, or reclaim resources as needed to restore compliance via the processes outlined in current ARIN policy.”

ARIN-2011-9 (Global Proposal): Global Policy for post exhaustion IPv4 allocation mechanisms by the IANA

• All space at IANA becomes the “Recovered IPv4 Pool”
• Each RIR gets one “allocation unit” every six months
  • IPv4 allocation unit = 1/5 of Recovered IPv4 pool, rounded down to the next CIDR (power-of-2) boundary.
  • The minimum “IPv4 allocation unit” size will be a /24.

ARIN-2011-10: Remove Single Aggregate requirement from Specified Transfer

• In section 8.3, change “can demonstrate the need for such resources, as a single aggregate, in the exact amount which they can justify under current ARIN policies” to “can demonstrate the need for such resources in the amount which they can justify under current ARIN policies”

2011-8 and 2011-10 will be implemented no later than 29 February 2012.

2011-9 is a global proposal and as such awaits the conclusion of the Global Policy Development Process.

Not Adopted:

ARIN-2011-1: ARIN Inter-RIR Transfers

At this time the Board has not adopted 2011-1: Inter-RIR transfers. As stated in the minutes, “The ARIN Board of Trustees takes the recommendation of Draft Policy ARIN-2011-1: Inter-RIR Transfers formally under advisement pending a final community discussion at the ARIN XXIX Public Policy Meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia. Furthermore, the Board of Trustees directs the President immediately start implementation of this policy in parallel, with final policy availability held until otherwise directed by the Board.” See the minutes for more information on this item.

Find the Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes at: https://www.arin.net/about_us/bot/index.html

Draft Policy:

ARIN-2011-5: Shared Transition Space for IPv4 Address Extension

• Reserves a /10 for Service Providers to use for inside addressing in a CGN deployment
• Recommended to the Board for Adoption (May 2011)
• Waiting on IETF action (two active I-Ds)
  • IANA Reserved IPv4 Prefix for Shared CGN Space (draft-weil-shared-transition-space-request)
  • ARIN Draft Policy 2011-5: Shared Transition Space (draft-bdgks-arin-shared-transition-space)

ARIN-2011-7: Compliance Requirement

• Strengthens ARINs ability to enforce compliance with addressing policy, particularly WHOIS information requirements

ARIN-2011-11: Clarify Justified Need for Transfers

• Add to Section 8.3: “…they can justify under current ARIN policies showing how the addresses will be utilized within 12 months.”
• Remove from 4.2.4.4: “This reduction does not apply to resources received via section 8.3. An organization receiving a transfer under section 8.3 may continue to request up to a 12-month supply of IP addresses.”

ARIN-2011-12: Set Transfer Need to 24 months

• In ARIN-2011-11, change “…will be utilized within 12 months.” to “…will be utilized within 24 months.”

Policy Proposals:

ARIN-prop-151 Limiting needs requirements for IPv4 Transfers

ARIN-prop-157 Section 8.3 Simplification

ARIN-prop-159 IPv6 Subsequent Allocations Utilization Requirement

ARIN-prop-160 Clarification of Section 4.2.3.4.1. Utilization

Misc:

Well, that’s the basic template (and the current update).

Note that there is no summary given for the policy proposals, this is because many proposals die soon after being proposed and all policies must move to “draft” before they can be adopted (so I’m focusing on Drafts).

Let me know what you think!

For more on what all this means and how it happens, find the ARIN Policy Development Process at: https://www.arin.net/policy/pdp.html

ARIN Update – 10-JAN-2012 is a post from don't panic - One Network Arhitect's View of Life, the Internet, and Everything.

Are you a middle school, high school, or college aged kid, or the parent of one? Then this invite is for you!

I am kicking off a new innovation project at CableLabs called the Social Entertainment and Television Initiative. Yes that makes this the SETI project but no, we’re not looking for aliens. This is a research project focused on the intersection of Cable services and Social Media.

In more detail, the objective of the SETI project is to better understand how regular users of social media interact with social tools, other users and more traditional media. This will be achieved by conducting an informal user research group with the next generation (folks aged 13-23), including several lightly moderated discussion sessions. This, of course, is where you, or your kid, come in.

I would like to invite willing young adults (limit one per household) to participate in this user research group! There will be a couple of surveys to take and a few informal meetings/E-meetings to attend where we will discuss social media and cable services. In return for their time and attention, we will be awarding all participants who meet all requirements their choice of; a Kindle Fire tablet, an 8GB iPod Touch, or an equivalent gift card!

If you are interested, please email seti@cablelabs.com by ASAP (size is limited, and we hope to fill the group this week). Our focus group will be active Dec – Feb with minimal follow-ups (if any) after that. All contributing participants will receive their Thank-You prize upon the successful completion of their role in our initiative (anticipated to be in Feb/Mar).

A couple of notes:

• All participants must have Cable television service at their place of residence
• All participants must be familiar with at least one Social Media application (Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Etc.)
• We will be discussing social media, if you are opposed to this or online communication tools, please use your discretion prior to enrollment

Thanks!

Invite (+Prizes!): Social Entertainment and Television Initiative is a post from don't panic - One Network Arhitect's View of Life, the Internet, and Everything.

Since I’m starting to speak more publicly and more often, I thought I’d throw out a schedule so that folks will know where I’ll be. So, to kick that off, here is my next 3 months of speaking engagements:

LACNIC XVI / LACNOG 2011 / Internet ON

• 3 to 7 October 2011
• Buenos Aires, Argentina
• I’ll be giving a short presentation on ARIN-2010-14 at some point during the LACNIC agenda

NANOG 53

• 9 to 12 October 2011
• Philadelphia, PA
• I will be presenting the BCOP on IPv6 Subnetting during the BCOP BoF – Monday, October 10, 2011 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM

ARIN XXVIII

• 12 to 14 October 2011
• Philadelphia, PA
• As the AC shepherd, I will be presenting draft policy ARIN-2011-7

gogoNET Live! 2

• 1 to 3 November 2011
• San Jose, CA
• I will be giving a talk on IPv6 transit and peering
• I may also be leading a panel on IPv6 deployment experiences in MSO networks – TBD

SCTE CableTec Expo 2011

• 14 to 17 November 2011
• Atlanta, GA
• I’ll be presenting a paper on CGN called “The Experience Gap:Coping with the Looming IPv4 Address Shortage” that I and my colleague John Berg wrote this fall.
• Offered: Monday, November 14, from 1:15 – 2:30 PM
• Repeated: Wednesday, November 16, from 11:00 – 12:15 PM

Anyway, if you are at any of these conferences, or even just in town – seek me out for a chat, a cup of tea or something stronger. Cheers!

Upcoming Speaking Engagements – 4Q11 is a post from don't panic - One Network Arhitect's View of Life, the Internet, and Everything.

The American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN) announced today (27 September 2011) the publication of ARIN Number Resource Policy Manual (NRPM) version 2011.4. As an active member of the ARIN community and an elected member of the ARIN Advisory Council (AC), I am always excited to see new policies implemented (yes, I’m a special breed of geek) but this version is particularly exciting. I say this for two reasons and they are the two policies that have been (at least partially) implemented with this version of the NRPM: ARIN-2010-14 and ARIN-2011-3.

ARIN-2010-14: Standardize IP Reassignment Registration Requirements

If you read my blog at any frequency, you’re probably tired of hearing about this one. So for those of you that do, I’ll keep it short.

The reasons for these (fairly sweeping) changes to the IPv4 and IPv6 reassignment and registration requirements were laid out in bullet-point fashion in the rationale of the proposal:

1. Bring IPv4 and IPv6 policy more in line with each other to make the
   NRPM easier to understand and comply with – at least as it relates to
   reassignment information.
2. Specifically define what organizational information is required to
   be added to WHOIS when reassignments are made to client organizations.
3. To specifically state that a client organization may designate the
   POC of their choice for any/all WHOIS entries in policy. This includes
   designating an upstream POC as their own preferred POC (which allows
   for simple reassignments).
4. Expands the privileges previously reserved solely for IPv4 cable
   ISPs to all ISPs/LIRs with residential/dhcp-type subscribers.
5. Specifically define the term “residential customer.”
6. Allow ARIN to conduct resource reviews based on failure to comply
   with registration / reassignment policies.

Note: You can find the expanded rationale on ARIN’s site and my original thoughts on the need for these changes here on dp for more details.

The story of my struggle to get this policy implemented has already been told, mostly in my previous post “Petitioning ARIN Policy Proposal 109” and the others that it links to, so I won’t delve back into the gory details here – those who are interested can investigate further.

ARIN-2011-3: Better IPv6 Allocations for ISPs

This is a policy that I have not written about previously (at least not that I can remember) but one that is quite important to the deployment of IPv6, and thus the future of the Internet.

At it’s most basic; this policy allows for ISPs to follow the Best Current Operational Practices (BCOP) for IPv6 subnetting, namely to allow one-dip (or close to it), uniform subnetting. By “one-dip” I mean getting enough IPv6 space up front for long-term growth. This eliminates the need for ISPs to continually come back to ARIN for more addresses, which results in less required disaggregation of the address space. This is a new concept allowed by IPv6′s vastly larger address space. By uniform I mean a hierarchical addressing architecture in which each tier uses the same size subnets. This improves operational clarity (especially when used with nibble boundaries) and the ability to aggregate internal IPv6 routes. Here again this is a paradigm shift from IPv4 address planning – which is why this policy was needed; to bring ARIN policy in line with operational experiences.

In more detail, this policy:

• Requires that allocations to ISPs be made on nibble (4-bit) boundaries (e.g. /32, /28, /24, /20, etc.)
• Sets the minimum allocation at /32 and the overall maximum at /16 (with an exception for a /36 to be requested by particularly small operators)
• Allows the maximum allocation to any individual ISP to be based on a uniform, nibble-aligned, addressing architecture
• Resets the qualifications for an IPv6 allocation
• Allows ISPs to come back for more space in a manner that is consistent with the (industry recommended) uniform addressing architecture
• Recommends that ARIN expand existing allocations to provide additional addresses when possible

Read the full text on ARIN’s website for the whole story.

Note: ARIN-2011-3 was partially implemented – today ARIN is “able to accept requests under policy 2011-3 for IPv6 allocations ranging from /36 to /24″ with functionality for allocations larger than /24 to come by mid-February 2012.

New Policies Implemented at ARIN! (NRPM 2011.4) is a post from don't panic - One Network Arhitect's View of Life, the Internet, and Everything.