History of the use of Internet resources
Since its inception, the growth in the use of the IPv4 address space has increased exponentially. Efforts to conserve IPv4 began with moving from the original 8/24 split, to the adoption of the class-based address system, to the current classless setup.
Still, the uptake of the free space continues unabated as the world gets connected. IPv4 is predicted to expire in 2011.
It is hoped that by this stage, IPv6, the system that will eventually replace IPv4, will be universally supported and the Internet can continue to grow as it has in the past.
IPv4 address space consumption
| IPv4 Address Report | The IPv4 Address Report is an ongoing analysis of the remaining IPv4 resources, the factors influencing their consumption, and rational predictions about when the IPv4 free pool will exhaust. |
| CIDR Report | The CIDR report is automatically generated at set intervals and displays various statistics, such as a summary of the weekly route table size, changes in the number of ASes, recommendations for AS aggregation, and listings of possible anomalies in the routing table. |
| BGP Update Report | The BGP Instability Report is automatically updated daily and lists a range of interesting statistics relating to BGP activity. |
| IPv4 Address Allocation Report | This report shows the allocation status and information for all 256 /8 blocks. |
| IPv4 Address Allocation data by ISO-3116 code | This report shows allocation statistics according to the ISO-3116 economy code. You can see the amount of address space allocated to each economy. |
| IPv4 Exhaustion Counter (Developed by Intec NetCore) | The IPv4 Exhaustion Counter is a small web-based application that displays a running countdown of the amount of space remaining in the free pool of IPv4 addresses, based on the predictions outlined in the IPv4 Address Report. |
RIR reports and statements on IPv4 consumption
- Responses to IPv4 address space consumption,
Apster 23, 2007 - APNIC community resolution on IPv4 and IPv6 issues
APNIC 24, 7 September 2007 - LACNIC announces the imminent depletion of the IPv4 addresses
20 June 2007 - JPNIC announcement on IPv4 consumption
(in Japanese only), 19 June 2007 - ARIN Board Advises Internet Community on Migration to IPv6
21 May 2007 - AfriNIC discussions on IPv4 consumption
AfriNic 6, 2 May 2007 - IPv4 Discussion Panel, ARIN XIX
24 April 2007 - IPv4 exhaustion: whats the real story?
APNIC 23, 6 September 2006