[ih] Protocol numbers (was IP version 7)

[Carsten Bormann]

On 2020-12-23, at 21:01, Brian E Carpenter via Internet-history <internet-history at elists.isoc.org> wrote:
> 
> Even though the protocol number space might appear to be relatively
> full, I think we're a long way from a problem. 

At the current rate of allocation, the protocol numbers may well last into the next millennium.

We got 142 for "IPsec Extensions to Support Robust Header Compression over IPsec”, RFC 5858, in 2010.  143 was (tentatively) allocated for SR in 2020.  There are 109 more to go, so at the current rate the last one, 252, will be allocated in the year 3110 AD.

OK, if we look at the last 5, that spans 2008 to 2020.  So we’ll run out in the year 2547 AD.

I believe we should use some of the time until then to start a process for reclaiming protocol numbers.  Maybe with 100-year last-calls for deprecation.

Or we could make protocol number allocation “soft state”, which needs to be renewed after every 100 years the latest.

Grüße, Carsten