Is the Internet Going to End? IP Address Dilemma at Its Highest

T

he internet has an expiry date… I hate to break it to you, but the internet will expire soon if the IPv4 category doesn’t get backed up with the IPv6. As you know that the internet is based on IP addresses; a unique identity to all sorts of online entities.

Guess what? The IP addresses stack doesn’t come in Santa’s sack anymore. Billions and trillions of IP addresses are assigned to an equivalent number of internet users each day. These IPs, despite of their massive abundance, are not unlimited in stock. In fact, the tech pundits are predicting the imminent arrival of a particular day when the internet will RUN OUT of these identification numbers, IP addresses of whatever you call them.

What is going to happen next?

What are the ISPs going to do?

Will there be an end to having additional internet users after the stack has run out?

Don’t worry, you won’t be turning into an internet starved zombie just the way it happened in one of those South Park Episodes. Instead, these internet protocol addresses are now being made available in an all new format. They’re calling it the IPv6 protocol, which will be loaded with new batches of IP addresses.

Here is a factotum of interesting IP related facts:

-          As you know that there are a large number of people who’re accessing the web world through Wi-Fi routers, different gaming consoles, Bluetooth connectivity, and all sorts of latest technological platforms. They are all being assigned or WILL be assigned the IPv6 class IPs.

-          Over the past few years, the entire IP address theory has been revised through the inclusion of newer protocols and command lines. Currently, most of the internet savvy beings are using the IPv4 standard, which was programmed to tout out a limited number of addresses.

-          Do the math on IPv4 and you’ll find out that the total number of usable IP addresses is 3,706,650,000. This number is broken into bits and pieces with respect to each country’s profile.

To further avoid this imminent exhaustion of IP addresses, you’ll be using IPv6 based internet protocol addresses pretty soon. As said earlier, some of us are already doing that. There will be a wider pool of online resources that the IPv6 will be tapping into. Soon enough, your ISP, webhosting company, or any relevant correspondent will be refreshing the IP address list in the near future. Doing so will extend the internet’s life by another 50 years.