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<td align="center" height="30"><a
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<div align="left">Dear Colleagues,<br>
Please find below a brand new issue of
AFRINIC 101, on Internet Number Resources
Management.<br>
<br>
Enjoy the Read!<br>
<br>
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<td class="h4" width="610">
<p><span class="h3"><b><br>
INTERNET NUMBER RESOURCES</b></span><b><br>
</b> <br>
A couple of months ago, during one of our
usual weekly meetings, we were thinking
about some nice taglines that could be used
on the AFRINIC banners and posters and we
came up with this one: “AFRINIC: managing
the numbers that count”. The word play here
is, I think, quite subtle and fits perfectly
with the message we were sending out. But
this tagline got me thinking about those
numbers and boy, do they count!<br>
<br>
Internet number resources are the numbers
that when joined together, give us endless
opportunities. They are the numbers that the
Internet runs on and are in constant
evolution.<br>
</p>
<hr>
<p><span class="h3">So, what are the Internet
Number Resources that count?</span><br>
<span class="h3"> <br>
<b>1. IPv4</b></span><br>
<br>
IPv4, or Internet Protocol version 4, is the
fourth version in the development of the
Internet Protocol (IP) and was the first
version of the protocol to be widely
deployed. It is one of the core protocols of
standards-based internetworking methods of
the Internet, and routes most traffic on the
Internet. It is what we would call the
“popular” protocol. It’s familiar, it’s well
established in our system but at the end of
the day, there’s only so much it can do.<br>
<br>
IPv4 uses 32-bit (four-byte) addresses,
which limits the address space to
4,294,967,296 (232) addresses. This seemed
like a huge amount of IPv4 addresses when
the Internet was first developed. However,
as the Internet became more popular and so
widely used, more and more addresses were
assigned to users. As a result the amount of
available IPv4 addresses not already in use
decreased and, in February 2011, IANA’s IPv4
global pool was depleted.<br>
<br>
This was not a surprise: the forecasted
depletion is what brought about the
development of IPv6 in the 1990s.<br>
<br>
<b><span class="h3">2. IPv6</span></b><br>
<br>
IPv6, or Internet Protocol version 6, is
intended to replace IPv4, which still
carries the vast majority of Internet
traffic as of 2013. As of September 27,
2013, IPv6 traffic share was reported to be
around 2%. Although IPv6 is deployed on
networks all over the globe and is supported
by modern operating systems, there is still
a long way to go until IPv6 is universally
deployed. <br>
<br>
One of the most important differences
between the two is the size of the address
pool. IPv6 uses a 128-bit hexadecimal
address, allowing 2128, or approximately
3.4×1038 addresses, or more than 7.9×1028
times as many IPv4 addresses. By comparison
there are only approximately 4.3 billion
IPv4 addresses. IPv6 is expected to enable
billions of future users to connect to the
Internet. <br>
<br>
IPv6 has many other advantages that we all
know by now, namely enhanced network
performance, increasing network simplicity
by removing dependency on NATs, security and
many more. However, by design, IPv4 and IPv6
cannot communicate with each other. Sometime
in the future, when all IPv4 addresses are
in use, it will only be possible for new
users to connect to the Internet with an
IPv6 address. So, to ensure that people
connecting with either IPv4 or IPv6 can use
the Internet, IPv4 and IPv6 networks will
need to be run in parallel for as long as we
are using both protocols. One of the main
deployment models for IPv6 is “dual
stacking,” where operators support both IPv4
and IPv6 in their networks. IPv6 is our
“upcoming” or “growing” protocol.</p>
<p class="h3">IPv4 and IPv6 <i><small>(source:
NRO)</small></i><br>
</p>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"
cellspacing="0" height="181" width="618">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td valign="middle" width="128"><span
class="h4">IP version </span></td>
<td align="left" valign="top"
width="128"><span class="h4">IPv4</span></td>
<td width="362"><span class="h4">IPv6</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="128">
<p><span class="h4">Deployed</span></p>
</td>
<td width="161">
<p><span class="h4">1981</span></p>
</td>
<td width="181">
<p><span class="h4">1999</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="128">
<p><span class="h4">Address Size</span></p>
</td>
<td width="161">
<p><span class="h4">32-bit number</span></p>
</td>
<td width="181">
<p><span class="h4">128-bit number</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="128">
<p><span class="h4">Address Format</span></p>
</td>
<td width="161">
<p><span class="h4">Dotted Decimal
Notation: 192.0.2.76</span></p>
</td>
<td width="181">
<p><span class="h4">Hexadecimal
Notation: 2001:0DB8:0234:AB00:
0123:4567:8901:ABCD</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="128">
<p><span class="h4">Number of
Addresses</span></p>
</td>
<td width="161">
<p><span class="h4">2<sup>32</sup> =
4,294,967,296</span></p>
</td>
<td width="181">
<p><span class="h4">2</span><sup>128</sup>
<span class="h4">=
340,282,366,920,938,463,463,374,607,431,768,211,456<br>
</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<hr>
<p><b><span class="h3">3. AS Numbers</span></b><br>
<br>
Within the Internet, an Autonomous System
(AS) is a collection of connected IP routing
prefixes under the control of one or more
network operators that presents a common,
clearly defined routing policy to the
Internet. AS numbers were originally
expressed as 16-bit (2 byte) numbers. This
was later expanded to 32-bit (4-byte)
numbers, substantially increasing the pool
of AS numbers. Just as IPv6 was created to
solve the IPv4 problem by offering a bigger
pool of addresses, 4-byte ASNs have been
created to solve the 2-byte ASN depletion
problem. <br>
But where transition to IPv6 can be
time-consuming because of lack of
interoperability between IPv4 and IPv6, the
transition to 4-byte ASNs is far simpler as
there is no operational difference between
2-byte and 4-byte ASNs. With the
introduction of 32-bit ASNs, although the
amount of available ASNs greatly increased,
the way that they are denoted stayed the
same.<br>
Like IP addresses, the Regional Internet
Registries (RIRs) distribute AS numbers to
their members in their regions. The Regional
Internet Registries (RIRs) began assigning
4-byte AS numbers on 1 January 2007
according to the community based policies in
their respective region. <br>
</p>
<hr>
<p><br>
<span class="h3">AFRINIC: with you every
step of the way</span><br>
<br>
AFRINIC is the responsible steward; we are
your one-stop-shop for the Internet’s
future. We are committed to spearheading
Internet technology and engendering a
co-operative spirit among all African
nations. <br>
Becoming an AFRINIC member and getting your
Internet number resources from us will allow
you to (i) manage your own network, (ii)
benefit from AFRINIC’s training program, and
(iii) have your say on Internet number
policies, security issues and Internet
tools.<br>
Deploying IPv6 now will allow you to prepare
for the future Internet.<br>
This will not only support Africa's growing
digital infrastructure but also provide a
secure, reliable and resilient Internet for
all of us.</p>
<hr>
<p><b>For more information feel free to visit:</b><b><br>
</b> <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://afrinic.net/en/services/ipv6-programme">AFRINIC
and IPv6</a><br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://afrinic.net/en/library/membership-documents">Member
Support Publications</a><br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.af6tf.net/">African IPv6
Taskforce</a><br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.nro.net/technical-coordination/asn">NRO
ASN FAQs</a><br>
<br>
</p>
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<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
__________________________
Babusha Radhakissoon
Social Media/Online Engagement Officer, AFRINIC Ltd.
t: +230 403 5100 | f: +230 466 6758 | tt: @afrinic | w: <a moz-do-not-send="true" class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.afrinic.net">www.afrinic.net</a>
facebook.com/afrinic | flickr.com/afrinic | youtube.com/afrinicmedia
___________________________
Join us at AFRINIC-19 in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, 23-29 November 2013
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