IP Address | How are IPv6 addresses distributed ?

How are IPv6 addresses distributed ?

             ICANN’s Board of Directors ratified the policy governing the allocation of IPv6 address space to RIRs in September 2006. The key policy elements are:

■■ RIRs receive IPv6 blocks in /12 units.
■■ RIRs can receive an additional block when they have just one half of a block left.
■■ The number of /12 units RIRs receive is based on a formula established by IANA.

The policy details

         Similar to the IPv4 policy, the IPv6 policy contains a formula for determining when an RIR qualifies for additional IPv6 address space and how much it can receive. To qualify for additional IPv6 address space, the RIR must have less than 50 percent of a /12 left, or it must not have enough space to meet its members’ needs for the coming nine months.

Defining the variables

             The variables in the policy’s formula are available space and necessary space. All an RIR’s IPv6 address space is considered available for allocation unless the space is a reservation that will expire within the next three months, or is fragmented.
The policy’s formula considers recent history and then projects forward to determine how much address space an RIR might need in the future. The formula works this way: First, simple averaging is used to determine the number of addresses allocated per month during the past six months. This average helps determine how much space an RIR is expected to need in the near future. If the RIR’s available space is not enough for the next nine months of allocations, the RIR qualifies for additional address space.

Special needs and the calculation

            Special needs and the calculation determining how much IPv6 space an RIR needs are handled the same in IPv6 as they were for IPv4.