[GLLUG] IPv6 addresses

Chris Bell chrisbell at chrisbell.org.uk
Sun Jul 18 09:34:09 UTC 2021


On 16th October 2017 RIPE published their "Best Current Operational Practice 
for Operators: IPv6 prefix assignment for end-users - persistent vs non-
persistent, and what size to choose". Their recommendation was that ISP's 
should issue a permanent static 48-bit prefix (/48) to every customer, so that 
their customers could add another 16-bits to enable multiple separate /64 
local networks, leaving 64 binary bits to identify each network device, with 
all the address bits visible on the internet without NAT. If this appeared 
wasteful they pointed out that if every human on earth was allocated a /48 
block and none were recovered then there would be enough to last around 480 
years.
My sister has a relatively new domestic BT broadband connection. The IPv4 
address was expected to be dynamic despite BT claiming to have sufficient IPv4 
addresses, while the IPv6 address so far has had a static /48 but dynamic /64. 
Is there a cost involved in providing a static address, or are UK customers 
considered to be incapable of safely using a static address? Perhaps it just 
allows them to charge extra for a "business" broadband.
-- 
Chris Bell
Website chrisbell.org.uk





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