Microsoft Runs Out of US Address Space For Azure, Taps Its Global IPv4 Stock 250
alphadogg (971356) writes "Microsoft has been forced to start using its global stock of IPv4 addresses to keep its Azure cloud service afloat in the U.S., highlighting the growing importance of making the shift to IP version 6. The newer version of the Internet Protocol adds an almost inexhaustible number of addresses thanks to a 128-bit long address field, compared to the 32 bits used by version 4. The IPv4 address space has been fully assigned in the U.S., meaning there are no additional addresses available, Microsoft said in a blog post earlier this week. This requires the company to use the IPv4 address space available to it globally for new services, it said."
Re:So after years of panic... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Not sure what they mean... (Score:5, Insightful)
That is one of Googles great stupidities.
Just because I log in I via a French public hotspot, or a Dutch customers WLAN, doesn't mean I now magically speak French or Dutch, so why does Google switch everything to French and Dutch, despite all my OS and Browser settings still indicating German as primary language, with English as fallback?
Re:Not sure what they mean... (Score:4, Insightful)
Global Warming and IP Address Exhaustion (Score:4, Insightful)
I think the deniers are the same people, with the same arguments.
It's easy to spot the people who don't know what they're talking about. Over the last few days:
1) Just re-assign multicast!
2) Hey, they don't appear to be using those addresses, let's take those!
3) Double/Triple-NAT is good enough for me and everyone else!
4) Let's give out one IP address to everyone and we'll be set for awhile!
5) Let's make a new protocol!
6) IPv6 addresses are too big to remember!
7) You just need to sell it better!
All of those show fundamental misunderstandings about networking. And that part is OK. The problem is that people think they know about flying a plane because they've flown a paper airplane.
Calm down people. Stop trying to barge into the cockpit.
My grand conspiracy theory (Score:4, Insightful)
Many end users have IPv6 support. Many servers are capable of it. The issue is mostly the US ISPs and middle-tier transit providers dragging their feet. My systems all support IPv6, my m0n0wall box supports it, but neither of the two ISPs I can buy service from support it. In fact they won't sell it to me even if I offer to pay extra money for it!
My pet theory is that Verizon et al wants to convert IPv4 address space into a "resource" they can buy/sell/trade. A bunch of lawyers and MBAs are rubbing their greedy fingers together, hoping we stay in a "resource shortage" for as long as possible.
We could switch over, probably within a year or two, but it would take a government-imposed mandate to force people to stop screwing around and make the change.