The History of IPv6 @ ARIN

Toward the end of the 1980s, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) started studying the impact of the growth of the Internet on the existing IPv4 address protocol. Notably, one of the main issues was the exhaustion of the available pool of IPv4 addresses. Throughout much of the 1990s, a number of IETF Working Groups discussed and developed guidelines to help extend the life of IPv4 and create a successor. After much work and the investigation of many possible options, the core of IPv6 protocols were included in an IETF Draft Standard in December 1998. In July 1999, the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) made the first assignments of IPv6 address blocks to ARIN and the other Regional Internet Registries (RIRs), and ARIN started allocating IPv6 address blocks soon after that.

Since that time, ARIN has worked steadily and consistently to facilitate the adoption and foster the use of IPv6. As ARIN, and the other RIRs came closer the depletion of the IPv4 free pool, ARIN greatly increased its efforts of outreach and education. The links below highlight some of the significant milestones and history in the adoption of IPv6 and ARIN’s efforts to help promote that.

IPv6 Allocation and Assignment Statistics

Education and Community Outreach

Obviously, many of the announcements ARIN has published over the years involve or relate to IPv6, but we’ve highlighted some of the most important below. For more, please see the listing of announcements from the current year or the archive of announcements from previous years.

Highlights of IPv6-related Announcements
Date Title Notes
09 January 2019 Input Needed on New ARIN IPv6 Training Program
02 June 2016 Help ARIN understand where you are in your IPv6 journey
25 January 2016 Seeking IPv6 Trainers and Consultants
11 August 2015 Call For Hosting and DNS Providers That Support IPv6
08 July 2015 New Guide: “Preparing Applications for IPv6”
16 June 2015 Be the Voice of IPv6 in the Media
17 June 2013 ARIN IPv6 Wiki Relaunched
19 March 2013 Fee changes and IPv6 address return
19 December 2012 ARIN IPv6 Fee Waiver Extended
06 June 2012 ARIN and World IPv6 Launch Day
19 December 2011 ARIN IPv6 Fee Waiver Extended
21 October 2011 2011 Global IPv6 Survey Results
01 June 2011 ARIN-Issued Daily Report Includes IPv6
16 November 2010 New ARIN Education Multimedia – Deploying IPv6
04 June 2010 Global IPv6 Deployment Monitoring Survey
1 October 2009 Special Joint NANOG/ARIN IPv6 Panel to Open ARIN XXIV
18 March 2008 Exciting News About IPv6 at ARIN XXI
13 December 2007 ARIN Offers New Core Service Over IPv6
04 October 2007 ARIN Board Fee Actions - New IPv6 Fee Schedule on 1 January 2008
19 July 2007 ARIN Opens IPv6 Wiki Site Note: site has now been archived
21 May 2007 ARIN Board Advises Internet Community on Migration to IPv6
03 February 2005 IPv6 Exhibitors Invited to ARIN XV and NAv6TF Summit
11 May 2004 RIRs and IPv6 Groups Pledge Support of Global IPv6 Deployment
11 May 2004 ARIN Offers Expanded IPv6 Network Services
09 December 2004 ARIN Extends Waiver of IPv6 Fees to All General Members in Good Standing
06 January 2003 Waiver of IPv6 Fees ARIN’s first waiver of fees for IPv6 address space to foster adoption
29 July 2002 Policy 2001-4: “Modification to the IPv6 Allocation Policies” Adoption of a global-in-scope IPv6 Address Allocation and Assignment policy across the RIRs in existence at the time

Other Notable Milestones

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