Shortage of IP Addresses - the next Y2K Moment? - 03-Mar-10
Have you ever wondered how one computer can talk to another (and unlike telephone calls, you don't get so many wrong numbers)? Each computer is allocated a unique identifier - a string of numbers - but the world is running short of "strings".
It is estimated that only about 10% of available strings are unattached and that meltdown is fast approaching when there will be no new numbers. The current system, known as IPv4, provides only about 4.3 billion options which is proving inadequate in an era where every electronic device which might possibly link to the internet (HD set-top box, refridgerator, photo-frame, etc.) is allocated an identifier.
The electronics industry fore-saw the potential shortfall as early as the mid-1990's and developed a next generation solution, known as IPv6. This offers millions and billions of trillions (saying all that makes me feel like a little boy again!) of options capable of absorbing the growth of internet connectivity.
Older hardware can be upgraded by rechipping to IPv6 standards but beware. My understanding is that IPv6 and IPv4 are not compatible and could make reading an Office 2007 document through a DOS-based platform appear like a doddle! No - that is not a cheap dig. Ask your i-Phone supplier why it does not support IPv6 technology? They are likely to say - there is no demand!
When the world realises that IPv4 addresses are no longer available
a) will obsolete second-hand equipment become valuable as the source of a redundant IPv4 address?
b) will manufacturers cease production?
or
c) will there be a major Y2K moment as everyone tries simultaneously to upgrade to IPv6 compatible equipment/chips?
Source: NFP Techno
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