We’ve finally hit the breaking point for the original Internet

[Xipe Totec]

It's finally happened. The North American organization responsible for handing out new IP addresses says its banks have run dry.

That's right: ARIN, the American Registry for Internet Numbers, has had to turn down a request for the unique numbers that we assign to each and every smartphone, tablet and PC so they can talk to the Internet. For the first time, ARIN didn't have enough IP addresses left in its stock to satisfy an entire order — and now, it's activated the end-times protocol that will see the few remaining addresses out into the night.

IP addresses are crucial to the operation of the Internet. They're the numbers behind URLs like "google.com" or "facebook.com." They identify every device that connects to the Web, from servers to connected cars. The original designers of the Internet thought they'd only need around 4 billion unique combinations, derived from the series of dots and digits that make up IP addresses everywhere.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2015/07/02/weve-finally-hit-the-breaking-point-for-the-original-internet/

[KamaAina]

1. Relax, people.

If you haven't already guessed, we have a backup system in place so that Xboxes and Playstations of the future can continue to get online. Internet engineers have actually been anticipating this day for decades. To understand how they've solved it, let's let one of the original designers of the Internet explain:

The solution is known as IPv6, short for "version 6." It's an upgrade of the old IP numbering system, known as IPv4. While it won't replace the old system, it's considered the future of the Internet. It has to be, by necessity. At ARIN, large requests for IPv4 addresses will now be subject to rationing or waitlisting.

"The number of days remaining before depletion are dwindling," wrote Richard Jimmerson, ARIN's chief information officer, in a blog post Thursday. "It is very likely that we are already processing a request that we will be unable to fulfill."

Some companies, such as Google, flipped the switch on IPv6 in 2012, and the number of devices, Web sites and Internet providers supporting IPv6 has been growing.

[Xipe Totec]

2. Not everybody got the memo

Quote from a friend:

"Last time I talked to RCN, they didn't have a plan for IPv6."

[Travis_0004]

3. Yup. IPV6 has been operational since 2011

And we will not run out of space for a long long time.

IPV4 has 4,000,000,000 addresses.
IPV6 has 340,282,366,920,938,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 unique addresses.

[PoliticAverse]

5. A significant number of providers aren't completely IPv6 ready yet. n/t

[Wounded Bear]

7. Reminds me of the Y2K scare...

The media was milking it for column inches. Meanwhile, our engineers starting working on it several years in advance.

[LiberalElite]

4. Could they go back to the old style phone numbers, e.g. Butterfield 8?

or Beechwood 45789?

[madinmaryland]

6. ZOMG!! They killed the internets!! Those bastards!!