IP addresses on the brink of extinction
26 September, 2008, 11:25
Connecting regularly to the Internet to read the latest news or check emails, few people think how this all functions. And hardly could they imagine that in a couple of years they won’t be able to access their favourite web sites. The “father of the internet” Vint Cerf has warned that the web will run out of IP (internet protocol) addresses by 2010.
They stand for unique codes that allow computers to communicate with each other. Cerf explained the problem is similar to running out of telephone numbers. With no new numbers, you can't have more subscribers, with no IP addresses, some computers will not be able to go online.
He says the issue should be dealt with now to switch users to a new system.
The current internet protocol version four (IPv4) system had a total of 4.2 billion addresses when the internet was founded in 1977. Each of the IPv4 addresses has a series of 32 binary numbers.
A new system is called IPv6, with 128 bits-long addresses providing 3.4×10^38 address space. It is already used in Japan for seismic alerts through television programmes and turning traffic lights red.
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