IP Address Assignment

Abstract

Internet Protocol (IP) addresses must be unique on a given network for proper routing and communication. Proper IP address planning can facilitate not only management of route aggregation, but also the application of security policies, implementation of application‐specific routing treatment, and governance of geographic‐specific guidelines. Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) differentiate allocations from assignments because assignments comprise addresses in use, while allocations are pools for assignment which begin unused but in theory grow in usage with a number of assignments from the allocation over time. The RIRs are organizations responsible for allocation of address space within their respective global regions from their corresponding space allotments from Internet Assigned Numbers Authority. Internet conglomerates such as content delivery networks and popular social media websites with access to large quantities of user IP traffic could easily track the source locations and destination endpoints for individuals’ Internet sessions.