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ARIN · RIR Watchdog

ARIN-prop-18: IPv6 Direct assignments to end sites

Start here for the proposal-by-proposal record: what changed, why it mattered, who argued for what, how positions evolved, what was decided, and where the evidence still has gaps.

Source facts

Policy ID
ARIN-prop-18
RIR
ARIN
Official status
Implemented
Normalized status
Accepted
Introduced
Aug 29, 2005
Last source update
Oct 13, 2026
Coverage
Partial

Who actually shaped the debate?

10Total participants
10Discussion contributors
UnknownFormal actors
17Discussion messages
7.4Effective participants
70.6%Top-five discussion share
3People covering 50%
7People covering 80%

Policy evolution

Debate timeline

  1. Introduced

    Introduced

    Source facts ↗
  2. Public discussion

    [ppml] Proposed Policy: IPv6 Direct assignments to end sites

    10 Discussion messages · 6 Entities

    Source facts ↗
  3. Public discussion

    [ppml] Proposed Policy: IPv6 Direct assignments to end sites

    2 Discussion messages · 2 Entities

    Source facts ↗
  4. Public discussion

    [ppml] Policy Proposal 2005-1: Provider-independent IPv6

    2 Discussion messages · 2 Entities

    Source facts ↗

Entities

Freshness: Stale · Last refresh: · The latest refresh failed. The last successful result is shown.
  1. Discussion messages4
    First activityAug 30, 2005
    Last activityAug 30, 2005
    First explicit stanceUnknown
    Latest explicit stanceUnknown
    Stance changes0
    Viewpoint consistencyMixed
    Other policies4
    Freshness: Stale · Last refresh: · The latest refresh failed. The last successful result is shown.

    Last research attempt: Sep 26, 2026

    Identity verified: Sep 26, 2026

    · Historical
    New proposal by Kevin Loch merged with
    www.arin.net

    Verified public profiles

    Discussion messages
    4
    First activity
    Aug 30, 2005
    Last activity
    Aug 30, 2005
    First explicit stance
    Unknown
    Latest explicit stance
    Unknown
    Stance changes
    0
    Viewpoint consistency
    Mixed
    Other policies
    4

    First explicit stance: Unknown → Latest explicit stance: Unknown · Stance changes: 0

    Viewpoint consistency: Mixed

    Kevin maintains an interest in usable provider-independent addressing while limiting waste and unintended routing. His suggested sizing evolves: the 2005 direct-assignment explanation describes a /48, whereas his January 2006 suggestion proposes a /44 minimum with additional eligibility and scaling rules. That is a substantive design change, not evidence of an unexplained reversal. The /96 suggestion concerns small internal uses, and his later fixed-range suggestion addresses route filtering; those different purposes must not be collapsed into contradictory size preferences.

    ARIN-prop-18: IPv6 Direct assignments to end sites

    Assessment: Insufficient evidence to assess consistency · The August 2005 contribution explains provider independence as the main objective and discusses enforcement of the restriction on holding both an assignment and an allocation. Only one supplied contribution addresses this recorded proposal.

    Conditions: Explaining enforcement problems does not mean rejecting direct assignment.

    This proposal is primarily about provider independence and multihoming as a secondary effect.

    No guidance is given for how to utilize direct assignments other than you only get a PI /48 to work with.

    2005-1: Provider Independent IPv6 Assignments for End-sites

    Assessment: Consistent · The January sizing suggestion, the warning that actual routability depends on network routing policy, and the April fixed-range suggestion address complementary parts of making PI assignments usable. The April suggestion seeks a way to distinguish PI space in filters rather than retracting the earlier assignment-size proposal.

    Conditions: The /44 minimum and scaling formula are suggestions, not adopted policy. · The proposal for a large static PI range leaves open whether reservation should be regional or global. · RIR assignment policy cannot by itself guarantee that networks route the resulting prefixes.

    To qualify for a minimum end site assignment of /44 you must either:

    Whether it would work or not depends on routing policies that aren't really in the scope of RIR policy.

    This is why it is important to have a large well known and static range (like a /16) set aside for PI assignments.

    2006-2: Micro-allocations for Internal Infrastructure

    Assessment: Insufficient evidence to assess consistency · The April question proposes considering a /96 for uses needing /126 to /128 prefixes and asks whether that would reduce accidental announcements. One conditional design question cannot establish a stable or changed position over time.

    Conditions: The suggested size is not evidence that the final proposal adopted it.

    Would a /96 be sufficient if the intended use is for /126-/128's? That might also reduce the concern about them being inadvertantly announced.

    ARIN-prop-18: IPv6 Direct assignments to end sites · 2005-1: Provider Independent IPv6 Assignments for End-sites

    Assessment: Mixed · The suggested minimum size changes materially from the /48 described in August 2005 to the /44 proposed in January 2006. The later message presents a revision informed by meeting feedback and adds qualification paths and a scaling idea. The evidence therefore supports an evolution of the design alongside continuity of purpose, rather than identical terms or an unexplained contradiction.

    Conditions: These are different recorded proposals and dates; the messages do not prove adoption or a formal replacement relationship. · A larger proposed assignment is a change in design, not by itself a change in support for provider independence.

    No guidance is given for how to utilize direct assignments other than you only get a PI /48 to work with.

    These were my suggestions using feedback from the last meeting:

    To qualify for a minimum end site assignment of /44 you must either:

    I would gladly write up a formal revision or new proposal if requested.

    2006-2: Micro-allocations for Internal Infrastructure · 2005-1: Provider Independent IPv6 Assignments for End-sites

    Assessment: Consistent · Considering a small /96 for internal uses and a distinct PI assignment range for public route filtering serve different uses. Both comments explicitly consider unwanted announcements or filtering effects, so the different prefix sizes are not conflicting prescriptions for the same use case.

    Conditions: The internal-use message is conditional and does not establish a complete position on that policy. · Do not equate an individual assignment size with the size of a reserved aggregate range.

    Would a /96 be sufficient if the intended use is for /126-/128's? That might also reduce the concern about them being inadvertantly announced.

    ISP's will have no choice but to have different minimum prefix size limits by range.

    1. Aug 30, 2005 · Unknown

      [ppml] Proposed Policy: IPv6 Direct assignments to end sites

      Validated evidence is unavailable.

      Source facts ↗
    2. Aug 30, 2005 · Question or clarify

      [ppml] Proposed Policy: IPv6 Direct assignments to end sites

      This bothers me too, I would like to hear suggestions on how we could enforce this. … This proposal is primarily about provider independence and multihoming as a secondary effect.

      Source facts ↗
    3. Aug 30, 2005 · Unknown

      [ppml] Proposed Policy: IPv6 Direct assignments to end sites

      Validated evidence is unavailable.

      Source facts ↗
    4. Aug 30, 2005 · Unknown

      [ppml] Proposed Policy: IPv6 Direct assignments to end sites

      Validated evidence is unavailable.

      Source facts ↗

    Total policy messages: 11

  2. Discussion messages3
    First activityAug 30, 2005
    Last activityAug 30, 2005
    First explicit stanceUnknown
    Latest explicit stanceUnknown
    Stance changes0
    Viewpoint consistencyNo explicit position stated
    Other policies2
  3. marcelo bagnulo braun · Identity unresolved
    Discussion messages2
    First activityAug 30, 2005
    Last activityAug 30, 2005
    First explicit stanceUnknown
    Latest explicit stanceUnknown
    Stance changes0
    Viewpoint consistencyNo explicit position stated
    Other policies2
  4. Discussion messages2
    First activityAug 29, 2005
    Last activityAug 31, 2005
    First explicit stanceUnknown
    Latest explicit stanceUnknown
    Stance changes0
    Viewpoint consistencyNo explicit position stated
    Other policies8
  5. John M. Brown · Identity unresolved
    Discussion messages1
    First activityJan 7, 2003
    Last activityJan 7, 2003
    First explicit stanceUnknown
    Latest explicit stanceUnknown
    Stance changes0
    Viewpoint consistencyNo explicit position stated
    Other policies3
  6. Discussion messages1
    First activityApr 27, 2006
    Last activityApr 27, 2006
    First explicit stanceSupport
    Latest explicit stanceSupport
    Stance changes0
    Viewpoint consistencyNo validated consistency assessment
    Other policies9
  7. Member Services · Identity unresolved
    Discussion messages1
    First activityAug 29, 2005
    Last activityAug 29, 2005
    First explicit stanceUnknown
    Latest explicit stanceUnknown
    Stance changes0
    Viewpoint consistencyNo explicit position stated
    Other policies24
  8. Discussion messages1
    First activityAug 30, 2005
    Last activityAug 30, 2005
    First explicit stanceUnknown
    Latest explicit stanceUnknown
    Stance changes0
    Viewpoint consistencyNo explicit position stated
    Other policies1
  9. Discussion messages1
    First activityApr 27, 2006
    Last activityApr 27, 2006
    First explicit stanceOppose
    Latest explicit stanceOppose
    Stance changes0
    Viewpoint consistencyNo validated consistency assessment
    Other policies2
  10. Discussion messages1
    First activityAug 29, 2005
    Last activityAug 29, 2005
    First explicit stanceUnknown
    Latest explicit stanceUnknown
    Stance changes0
    Viewpoint consistencyNo explicit position stated
    Other policies15

Sources and coverage

Official policy sources

Public discussion archives

  • arin-ppml
    Earliest captured
    Sep 1, 1999
    Latest captured
    Oct 8, 2026
    Last refresh
    Oct 13, 2026
    Coverage
    Source coverage is incomplete.
    Loading
    31,204
    Known gaps
    0
  • www.arin.net
  • arin-arin-announce
    Earliest captured
    Aug 4, 2026
    Latest captured
    Oct 7, 2026
    Last refresh
    Oct 13, 2026
    Coverage
    Source coverage is incomplete.
    Loading
    3,144
    Known gaps
    0
  • arin-arin-consult
    Earliest captured
    Aug 14, 2026
    Latest captured
    Sep 15, 2026
    Last refresh
    Oct 11, 2026
    Coverage
    Source coverage is incomplete.
    Loading
    2,438
    Known gaps
    3
  • arin-arin-discuss
    Earliest captured
    Aug 2, 1999
    Latest captured
    Aug 21, 2007
    Last refresh
    Oct 13, 2026
    Coverage
    Source coverage is incomplete.
    Loading
    716
    Known gaps
    0
  • arin-arin-issued
    Earliest captured
    Aug 2, 2026
    Latest captured
    Oct 12, 2026
    Last refresh
    Oct 13, 2026
    Coverage
    Source coverage is incomplete.
    Loading
    6,568
    Known gaps
    0
  • arin-arin-ppml
    Earliest captured
    Aug 2, 2026
    Latest captured
    Oct 8, 2026
    Last refresh
    Oct 13, 2026
    Coverage
    Source coverage is incomplete.
    Loading
    5,329
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    0
  • arin-arin-regrws
    Earliest captured
    Unknown
    Latest captured
    Unknown
    Last refresh
    Oct 13, 2026
    Coverage
    Source coverage is incomplete.
    Loading
    0
    Known gaps
    0
  • arin-arin-rpki-pilot
    Earliest captured
    Jul 7, 2009
    Latest captured
    Jul 7, 2009
    Last refresh
    Oct 13, 2026
    Coverage
    Current
    Loading
    0
    Known gaps
    0
  • arin-arin-suggestions
    Earliest captured
    Aug 26, 2026
    Latest captured
    Sep 4, 2026
    Last refresh
    Oct 13, 2026
    Coverage
    Source coverage is incomplete.
    Loading
    1,040
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    0
  • arin-arin-tech-discuss
    Earliest captured
    Aug 13, 2026
    Latest captured
    Oct 5, 2026
    Last refresh
    Oct 13, 2026
    Coverage
    Source coverage is incomplete.
    Loading
    1,841
    Known gaps
    0
  • arin-arin-whoisrws
    Earliest captured
    Oct 9, 2009
    Latest captured
    Sep 6, 2010
    Last refresh
    Oct 13, 2026
    Coverage
    Source coverage is incomplete.
    Loading
    0
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    0
  • arin-clew
    Earliest captured
    May 6, 1999
    Latest captured
    Nov 7, 2002
    Last refresh
    Oct 13, 2026
    Coverage
    Source coverage is incomplete.
    Loading
    56
    Known gaps
    0
  • arin-dbwg
    Earliest captured
    Apr 22, 1999
    Latest captured
    Dec 30, 2004
    Last refresh
    Oct 13, 2026
    Coverage
    Source coverage is incomplete.
    Loading
    443
    Known gaps
    0
  • arin-iana-transition
    Earliest captured
    Oct 13, 2014
    Latest captured
    Jun 9, 2016
    Last refresh
    Oct 13, 2026
    Coverage
    Source coverage is incomplete.
    Loading
    145
    Known gaps
    0
  • arin-icp2_review
    Earliest captured
    Apr 14, 2025
    Latest captured
    Nov 10, 2025
    Last refresh
    Oct 13, 2026
    Coverage
    Source coverage is incomplete.
    Loading
    0
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    0
  • arin-naipr
    Earliest captured
    Jan 1, 1997
    Latest captured
    Nov 3, 1997
    Last refresh
    Oct 13, 2026
    Coverage
    Source coverage is incomplete.
    Loading
    1,964
    Known gaps
    0
  • arin-nrr-blueprint
    Earliest captured
    Oct 9, 2002
    Latest captured
    Oct 29, 2002
    Last refresh
    Oct 13, 2026
    Coverage
    Current
    Loading
    0
    Known gaps
    0
  • arin-policy
    Earliest captured
    Oct 12, 1999
    Latest captured
    Mar 26, 2003
    Last refresh
    Oct 13, 2026
    Coverage
    Source coverage is incomplete.
    Loading
    100
    Known gaps
    0
  • arin-rtma
    Earliest captured
    Apr 18, 2000
    Latest captured
    Dec 28, 2001
    Last refresh
    Oct 13, 2026
    Coverage
    Source coverage is incomplete.
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    269
    Known gaps
    0
  • arin-services-wg
    Earliest captured
    Apr 20, 2016
    Latest captured
    Jan 20, 2018
    Last refresh
    Oct 13, 2026
    Coverage
    Source coverage is incomplete.
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    29
    Known gaps
    0
  • arin-v6wg
    Earliest captured
    Nov 8, 2000
    Latest captured
    Mar 1, 2005
    Last refresh
    Oct 13, 2026
    Coverage
    Source coverage is incomplete.
    Loading
    145
    Known gaps
    0
  • arin-vwp
    Earliest captured
    Oct 18, 2000
    Latest captured
    Jul 10, 2001
    Last refresh
    Oct 13, 2026
    Coverage
    Source coverage is incomplete.
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    232
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    0
  • arin-general-members
    Earliest captured
    Jun 3, 2022
    Latest captured
    Jun 25, 2026
    Last refresh
    Oct 13, 2026
    Coverage
    Source coverage is incomplete.
    Loading
    129
    Known gaps
    0

Coverage

Partial
Earliest captured: Jan 1, 1997
Latest captured: Oct 13, 2026

Freshness

Freshness: Stale · Last refresh: · The latest refresh failed. The last successful result is shown.

Known gaps

  • www.arin.net: Source coverage is incomplete. · The source boundary has not yet been reached.
  • www.arin.net: Source coverage is incomplete. · The source boundary has not yet been reached.
  • arin-ppml: Source coverage is incomplete. · The source boundary has not yet been reached.
  • www.arin.net: Source coverage is incomplete. · The source boundary has not yet been reached.
  • arin-arin-announce: Source coverage is incomplete. · The source boundary has not yet been reached.
  • arin-arin-consult: Source coverage is incomplete. · The source boundary has not yet been reached.
  • arin-arin-discuss: Source coverage is incomplete. · The source boundary has not yet been reached.
  • arin-arin-issued: Source coverage is incomplete. · The source boundary has not yet been reached.
  • arin-arin-ppml: Source coverage is incomplete. · The source boundary has not yet been reached.
  • arin-arin-regrws: Source coverage is incomplete. · The source boundary has not yet been reached.
  • arin-arin-suggestions: Source coverage is incomplete. · The source boundary has not yet been reached.
  • arin-arin-tech-discuss: Source coverage is incomplete. · The source boundary has not yet been reached.
  • arin-clew: Source coverage is incomplete. · The source boundary has not yet been reached.
  • arin-dbwg: Source coverage is incomplete. · The source boundary has not yet been reached.
  • arin-iana-transition: Source coverage is incomplete. · The source boundary has not yet been reached.
  • arin-naipr: Source coverage is incomplete. · The source boundary has not yet been reached.
  • arin-policy: Source coverage is incomplete. · The source boundary has not yet been reached.
  • arin-rtma: Source coverage is incomplete. · The source boundary has not yet been reached.
  • arin-services-wg: Source coverage is incomplete. · The source boundary has not yet been reached.
  • arin-v6wg: Source coverage is incomplete. · The source boundary has not yet been reached.
  • arin-vwp: Source coverage is incomplete. · The source boundary has not yet been reached.
  • arin-general-members: Source coverage is incomplete. · The source boundary has not yet been reached.