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Proposed Global Policy for Remaining IPv4 Address Space - Final Call for Comments and Background Report

5 February 2009

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On 4 February 2009, the Chair of the Address Supporting Organization Address Council forwarded a Proposed Global Policy for Remaining IPv4 Address Space, for ratification by the ICANN Board. Essentially, the proposal states that each Regional Internet Registry, RIR, be allocated one /8 IPv4 address block when the IANA free pool of IPv4 address space reaches five remaining /8 blocks. For the full text of the proposal click here.

The development of Global Internet Number Resource Policies is the subject of an MoU, known as the ASO MoU, between the RIRs/NRO and ICANN. There are also specific ICANN Board Procedures for handling global policy proposals in this context. In line with the procedures, a final call for public comments is now open until 26 February 2009.

Click here to view comments on the Proposed Global Policy for Remaining IPv4 Address Space.

Click here to submit comments on the Proposed Global Policy for Remaining IPv4 Address Space.

Background

The Proposed Global Policy for Remaining IPv4 Address Space has progressed through the bottom-up policy development processes of the Regional Internet Registries since spring 2007, as described in a series of "early awareness" reports posted on the ICANN website, see http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/proposal-ipv4-report-29nov07.htm. The table below describes the development steps within each RIR for the proposal. Hyperlinks are included for easy access. As of 20 November 2008, all RIRs had formally adopted the proposal. On 3 December 2008, the Executive Council of the Number Resource Organization sent the final version of the proposal to the ASO AC for procedural verification and subsequent forwarding to the ICANN Board for ratification. On 8 January 2009, the ASO AC resolved to forward the proposal to the ICANN Board.

RIR

AfriNIC

APNIC

ARIN

LACNIC

RIPE

Proposal Introduced

16 Feb 2008 afpol-v4gp200802 (3)

23 Jan 2008 prop-055-v002 (3)

8 Feb 2008

prop 2007-23 (revised ) (3)

21 Feb2008

LAC-2008-01 (3)

3 March 2008

prop 2008-03 (3)

Discussion list

Resource Policy Disc. List

SIG-Policy

Public Policy Mailing List

Politicas – Policy Mailing List

Address Policy WG

Public Forum

AfriNIC 8

24 May - 6 June 2008

(consensus)

APNIC 26 25 - 29 Aug2008

- Slides (3)

(consensus)

ARIN XXI

6 - 9 April 2008

- Slides (3)

LACNIC XI 26– 30 May 2008

- Slides (3)

(consensus)

RIPE 56

5 – 9 May 2008

- Slides (3)

 

Final Call for Comments

23 June - 8 July 2008

28 Aug - 24 Oct 2008

14 – 29 April 2008

13 June – 28 July 2008

22 July - 19 August 2008

Next Public Forum

AfriNIC 9

22 – 28 Nov 2008

APNIC 27 18 -27 Feb 2009

ARIN XXII

15 – 17 Oct 2008

LACNIC XII

25 - 29 May 2009

RIPE 57

26 – 30 Oct 2008

Adoption

AfriNIC Board, 13 August 2008

APNIC EC, 20 November 2008

ARIN Board, 24 June 2008

LACNIC Board, 5 August 2008

Adopted on 8 Sept 2008

Link to document

afpol-v4gp200802 (3)

Proposal-055-v002 (3)

Policy prop

2007-23 revised (3)

LAC-2008-01 (3)

 

RIPE-436 (3)

 

Link to Policy Development Process

Policy Development Process

Policy Development Process

Internet Resource Policy Evaluation

Process

Policy Development Process

Policy Development Process

Status

(3) adopted

(3) adopted

(3) adopted

(3) adopted

(3) adopted

Proposal Text

Global Policy for the Allocation of the Remaining IPv4 Address Space

This policy describes the process for the allocation of the remaining IPv4 space from IANA to the RIRs. When a minimum amount of available space is reached, one /8 will be allocated from IANA to each RIR, replacing the current IPv4 allocation policy.

In order to fulfill the requirements of this policy, at the time it is adopted, one /8 will be reserved by IANA for each RIR. The reserved allocation units will no longer be part of the available space at the IANA pool. IANA will also reserve one /8 to any new RIR at the time it is recognized.

The process for the allocation of the remaining IPv4 space is divided in two consecutive phases:

  • Existing Policy Phase

During this phase IANA will continue allocating IPv4 addresses to the RIRs using the existing allocation policy. This phase will continue until a request for IPv4 address space from any RIR to IANA either cannot be fulfilled with the remaining IPv4 space available at the IANA pool or can be fulfilled but leaving the IANA remaining IPv4 pool empty.

This will be the last IPv4 address space request that IANA will accept from any RIR. At this point the next phase of the process (Exhaustion Phase) will be initiated.

  • Exhaustion Phase

During this phase IANA will automatically allocate the reserved IPv4 allocation units to each RIR (one /8 to each one) and respond to the last request with the remaining available allocation units at the IANA pool (M units).

    • Size of the final IPv4 allocations

In this phase IANA will automatically allocate one /8 to each RIR from the reserved space as defined in this policy. IANA will also allocate M allocation units to the RIR that submitted the last request for IPv4 addresses.

    • Allocation of the remaining IPv4 Address space

After the completion of the evaluation of the final request for IPv4 addresses, IANA MUST:

  • Immediately notify the NRO about the activation of the second phase (Exhaustion Phase) of this policy.
  • Proceed to allocate M allocation units to the RIR that submitted the last request for IPv4 address space.
  • Proceed to allocate one /8 to each RIR from the reserved space.