US registry aims to beat Web shortage

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In a move that will create ripples across the entire domains market, the leading registry of the United States has made an urgent call for a full-scale migration to a new Internet Protocol. The non-profit American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN) has advocated the transition in order to avoid a domains shortage, expected to hit the online community in two to five years’ time.

Currently, most domain registries are operating on Internet Protocol version Four (IPv4), capable of sustaining 4 billion addresses. After refusing to favour one system over another, ARIN has resolved to champion IPv6, which will up the number of possible addresses to 16 billion-billion. ‘The available IPv4 resource pool has now been reduced to the point that ARIN is compelled to advise the Internet community that migration to IPv6 is necessary for any applications that require ongoing availability … of contiguous IP number resources,’ said the registry in a 21 May statement.

Only 19% of IPv4 space is still available, and with the domains industry growing all the time, that is projected to run out quickly. ARIN Chairman John Curran said: ‘When you look at a group of forecasts, they're all moving closer and closer, converging. We had a 15-year window at one point, and now that window has estimates ranging from 2009 to 2012. [The shortage is] definitely soon enough that we can call the game now.’ Curran says that much work lies ahead, given the ‘huge difference between being able to make one or two [IPv6] sessions in a lab work and being able to roll out a service.’

With that difference in mind, ARIN’s president Raymond A Pizak discussed some preparations: ‘Implementation of this resolution will include both internal and external components. Internally, ARIN will review its resource request procedures and continue to provide policy experience reports to the Advisory Council. Externally, we will send progress announcements to the ARIN community as well as the wider technical audience, government agencies, and media outlets.’

The registry has committed itself to an awareness campaign in the form of fact sheets, FAQs, speaking engagements and trade shows. Click here for more information about IPv6.