Whats the deal with IP's?

[koddos]

Bit of a strange question I know but what is the deal with IP's? I know what an IP address is but keep seeing posts about them being in short supply and that they are getting harder to aquire.

So how can there be a point when we run out of IP's? or am I just not reading such posts right?

koddos Reviewed by koddos on 29th Dec 2011. Whats the deal with IP's? Bit of a strange question I know but what is the deal with IP's? I know what an IP address is but keep seeing posts about them being in short supply and that they are getting harder to aquire. So how can there be a point when we run out of IP's? or am I just not reading such posts right? Rating: 5

[.nItIsH.]

IP address are Internet Protocols.
Protocols means 'specific rules'

You'll never run out of IP addresses.
IP address is different for every user. It works as a address for a machine on the network

[pokerface]

We're running short on IPv4 addresses on the global layer. ISPs (Internet Service Providers) are required to make a decision to either bind many clients under one public IP (mobile networks usually do that) or switch to IPv6. The latter one is a tougher and more time consuming process, since many devices on their networks lack the support for IPv6 (client's modems etc).

There can be 2^32 = 4 294 967 296 IP addresses on one network - the global one in this case. If we only have a million spare ones left, the price for each one is indeed high.

[VPS6NET]

Pokerface said it all. Basically, IPs (IPv4, at least) are like license plate numbers -- eventually you will run out, as we are now, because there are only so many combinations. IPv6 solves that problem.

[snowmanrene]

IPv6 doesn't actually solve the problem long term, it just solves it momentarily for the forseeable future, yes it allows a significantly higher number of addresses to be created, but what happens when the we start running out of addresses again? The world is growing so fast, new devices are connecting to the internet at an alarming rate, what then?

Do we use IPv8 or some other protocol?

[pokerface]

@snowmanrene: 2^128 = 340,282,366,920,938,463,463,374,607,431,768,211,45 6 is probably enough for a few decades.

[vizoomer]

IPv6 doesn't actually solve the problem long term, it just solves it momentarily for the forseeable future, yes it allows a significantly higher number of addresses to be created, but what happens when the we start running out of addresses again? The world is growing so fast, new devices are connecting to the internet at an alarming rate, what then?

Do we use IPv8 or some other protocol?

creativity is one thing that a human will never stop doing ... currently let ipv6 solve the problem later we can worry about that getting something else

[cvrle77]

There is 340,282,366,920,938,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,00 0 IPv6 addresses..
So, yes, it does solve problem, even if every single device in your home, needs to use multiple IPs, there will be enough of them till every human being doesn't die.

That is:

340- undecillion
282- decillion
366- nonillion
920- octillion
938- septillion
463- sextillion
463- quintillion
374- quadrillion
607- trillion
431- billion
768- million
211- thousand
456

[CJ]

IP address are Internet Protocols.
Protocols means 'specific rules'

You'll never run out of IP addresses.
IP address is different for every user. It works as a address for a machine on the network

where is my facepalm button staff

IPv4 is scarce & its hard to get more & more IPs(IPv4) & thats the reason IPv6 was introduced

[cvrle77]

Try with footpalm, here: