UK's 'Unallocated' IPv4 Block Actually In Use, Not For Sale 203
jimboh2k writes "The UK may have 16.9 million 'unused' IPv4 addresses but according to the department that owns them, they're not for sale. The Department of Work and Pensions says it would be too expensive to reallocate those addresses and, even if it did, it would not stave off IPv4 address exhaustion by much."
The addresses in question are being used for a new internal government network. Of course, why that project wasn't built using IPv6...
USternet (Score:3, Informative)
Well some old dinosaur US companies or even universities own a full Class A.... do you think they need the address space more than a government ?
IBM CSC Dupont MIT Ford Apple USPS... etc.
see the list at : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_assigned_/8_IPv4_address_blocks
Re:"new internal government network" (Score:4, Informative)
if you have connections to other networks, and/or vpn's, internal network IP's are a pain in the ass. How do you setup a VPN when both ends are using 192.168.1.x? easy, you overload NAT, so both sides see the other as a completely different subnet. Do that about 5 times, and then try to debug some firewall rules.. Many larger companies will now refuse to setup VPN's with companies that use reserved addresses, since its such a pain in the rear.
By using a valid IP address, your assuring that they are globally unique.
Re:"new internal government network" (Score:2, Informative)
We have had 4 companies we connected to with VPN's over the last two years. All 4 of them were medical industry companies with > 2,000 employees. All four required we have our own valid, routable IP range to use before they would connect with us.
Re:Because sixxs is a pain in the ass to get (Score:4, Informative)
If you want a free v6 tunnel there are less elitist providers than sixxs. gogo6 (aka freenet6) even offer unauthenticated tunnels for individual machines* so you can just install their software and go.
Still I consider such tunnels as a tool for those who are interested in developing/testing IPv6 and maybe as a stopgap measure for a subset of end users who really need to reach v6 servers. If you are serious about v6 then you should be using a v6 capable ISP.
*If you want a prefix you have to create an account and authenticate to it but afaict creating an account with them is no big deal.
Re:Enlighten me please (Score:4, Informative)
Upgrading IPv4-only firmware to handle both IPv4 and IPv6 may require more processing power and memory space than the hardware can provide.
Obviously the more expensive hardware would be able to cope, but those were more expensive so nobody bought them.
Re:Because sixxs is a pain in the ass to get (Score:4, Informative)
sixxs dont require a linkedin account (or something changed since i created mine and several friends accounts)
all you need is to say you want to test ipv6 on your home computer (or home network) and put your real info (name, email, etc)... that isnt much different from registering on any website.
Requiring real info is normal, as you will access the internet with their connections, its normal they want real info to contact you or to redirect any police request if you want to use their network for illegal activities
Re:Let the home office keep them (Score:2, Informative)
Changing the contract will cost them at least 20% more than the current overrun.
Perhaps. But also:
Of course, why that project wasn't built using IPv6...
Because the administration wants proven techniques, and not to be a testbed for new technologies. "Big deal", the Slashdot crowd may say, "IPv6 migration is simple and costs effectively nothing". Again, perhaps: but try to see this from some department's/ministry's/government's point of view- all those stamps to be pressed, reports to be filed etc. Right now this particular department is probably not using the IPv4 addresses they own, and they see it as clever to keep them in stock for the time that they will need them. From their point of view, they are good for years to come so why change that.
Re:They should sell it anyway (Score:3, Informative)
in the pre-NAT days.... (Score:5, Informative)
For those that remember the days before NAT was prevalent, this is what way IP addresses were supposed to be used.
Re:Because sixxs is a pain in the ass to get (Score:4, Informative)
This is slashdot, everybody already knows to use Hurricate Electric [he.net].