North American Network Operators Group Date Prev | Date Next | Date Index | Thread Index | Author Index | Historical Re: ULA and RIR cost-recovery
At 07:11 PM 11/24/2004, Owen DeLong wrote: *** PGP SIGNATURE VERIFICATION ***So with unique address blocks, blocks that should not appear in the GLOBAL routing table, companies could use those prefixes for private peering all over the place. This sounds like a great idea for companies cooperating in commerce operations. Of course all that private traffic might traverse a network that bypasses the ISPs and NSPs, or perhaps runs over private virtual circuits (MPLS, Frame, ATM or whatever the popular choice is for such circuits that month). While from a network operator's perspective, this might be a disaster, it's an enabler for corporate networks, and there's no reason to discourage it. If you are a network provider, then filter the entire prefix block and any longer prefixes announced. Please, though, stay out of the way of private interconnectors who've been asking for years to have unique space so they can reliably talk with one another. If we're talking about routing ULAs within a providers network, I'd think providers would love them. Right now, an enterprise can buy a "corporate VPN" or layer two network to route "private" addresses. Wouldn't providers be happy to offer the same service, for the same extra $$$, in IPv6? Especially when you consider that you can just drop the routes for the ULAs in your interior routing tables since ULAs are well, unique, and you're done. No tunnelling or other levels of indirection required. Charge the same or more for the "business-level service" that you offer now, but there is less work for you to do it.Right, but, the problem comes when the customers expect you to also announce the ULAs at your borders. Hey, it's your network, you set your policies. Talk to the other ISP, work out pricing, and sell an IP over IP solution, MPLS solution or some such. Look at this as an opportunity, instead of a problem, and there's money to be made without leaking the prefixes into the backbone. Embrace progress and conceive of creative solutions to customer needs.Believe me, this will occur. It will probably start with "Well, we've got this connection to you and this connection to ISP B, and, you guys peer, so, can you pass our ULA prefixes along to each other?" Well, giving in and letting companies have PI space would be nice, but unique ULA space would be extremely valuable, even to folks who REALLY do not need PI space.The slippery slope will continue until market economics have blurred or completely erased the line between PI and ULA.
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