Net not ready for address change

12:58 11th August 2008

The internet is unprepared for the fundamental change to its address network due to happen on New Years Day 2009, according to a computer scientist.

The change in networks, which will see the internet use four-byte addresses as opposed to the current two-byte, is essential to prevent the internet running out of address space.

This increase in Autonomous System (AS) numbers will result in a rise in the number of discrete networks from the existing 65,536, to more than four billion.

Geoff Huston, chief scientist at APNIC, the Regional Internet Registry for the Asia Pacific region, believes that current preparations are not at an advanced enough stage.

He said: "If router software and support systems in critical parts of the internet's infrastructure are not upgraded by January, we will encounter some significant network routing problems."

The organisations most affected by this change will be telecommunications carriers, internet service providers, private network owners and outsourced network operators.

An Autonomous System is a connected collection of IP routing prefixes, controlled by one or more network operators that present a defined routing policy to the internet.

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