Advertising IP prefixes to the internet using BGP

[Mitrixsen]

Hey guys!

I am studying BGP at the moment.

From what I've learned, in order to participate in routing on the internet and use BGP, we need to register a public provider-independent IP address block and a public ASN from one of the RIRs like ARIN (if we exclude private ASNs, of course).

The question is, aren't most of the RIRs already out of IP addresses? If that's the case, how do we get a decent IP block that we can advertise using BGP that would also be provider-independent?

Thank you in advance for your help.

Kind regards,

David

[Jon Marshall]

Hi David 

IPv4 is indeed quite difficult to get hold of.  I work in Europe so deal with RIPE and they have waiting lists for IPv4. 

There are also brokers you can go to who will lease your IPv4 addressing and register the blocks with the RIRs so you can use them with your ASN.

IPv6 is obviously a very different issue, there is a lot of that available.

Jon

[M02@rt37 · Accepted solution]

Hello @Mitrixsen,

The depletion of IPv4 addresses has led to increased adoption of IPv6, which provides a significantly larger address space. By transitioning to IPv6, you can obtain a substantial block of IPv6 addresses that can be used for BGP routing without relying on IPv4 allocations. Some RIRs have implemented policies for transferring IPv4 address space between organizations. This allows organizations with excess IPv4 addresses to transfer them to other organizations in need. However, the availability of such transfers can vary depending on the region and the specific RIR policies.

There are brokers that specialize in facilitating the buying and selling of IPv4 address space. These brokers can connect organizations with available IPv4 addresses to those in need, allowing for the transfer of address blocks. However, it's important to be cautious and work with reputable brokers to ensure the legitimacy and proper documentation of the transactions.  In some cases, organizations that have large IPv4 allocations may be willing to sublease a portion of their address space to other organizations. This arrangement allows the subleasing organization to use the IPv4 addresses for BGP routing without directly owning them.

Agree with @Jon Marshall too! RIPE has implemented waiting lists and stricter allocation policies to manage the scarcity.

[Joseph W. Doherty]

As @Jon Marshall already described, there's a huge difference between IPv4 vs. IPv6 addresses, as the former is officially exhausted.

Possibly, another way to acquire an IPv4 address block might be to buy out a company that has such as IPv4 address block.  ; )