The 200 /48s rule does fail the job, in the present environment. We should abolish it for the arbitrary, plucked from the air number, that it is. Why? Because there are networks which are not end sites, who do make assignments to customers (just not 200 of them right now - or within 2 years), which cannot wait for the i*tf to get off the pot with whatever multi6/shim6 thing they are doing, which cannot wait the N years it will take for vendors to implement whatever comes out of the i*tf. They need fully-functioning IPv6 connectivity which is not dependant on (the address space, services, operational stability, etc., of) an upstream carrier, right now, for whom large scale renumbering whenever they have to change upstream is not a realistic option. This can be achieved through an IPv6 address allocation which is functionally similar to the IPv4 PA allocation they are currently entitled to. Currently, the RIRs issue these in /32 chunks. Sure, routing tables will grow. A bit. That's because the Internet is (still) growing. IPv6 is part of that growth, yet I don't really think we've had a substantial sunrise period yet. The sun seems to be very low on the horizon from where I'm sat. I don't think we're talking about floodgates here. The majority seem to think there are enough safeguards to prevent "casual" users from successfully receiving an IPv6 allocation. I agree. Right now, the only strong objections I'm seeing appear to be somewhat Canutist, despite being otherwise well-informed. In case my opinion isn't clear, I support the proposal as it stands. If there is a genuine and well-founded concern about pulling the "200 number" without some other form of safeguard, maybe we go with the proposal as it stands, but add a commitment (by the Chairs? group as a whole? NCC?) to table a review of the situation once the i*tf do come up with something, and there is vendor support for it? Would that help to allay fears of wet feet? Regards, Mike -- Mike Hughes Chief Technical Officer London Internet Exchange mike@linx.net http://www.linx.net/ "Only one thing in life is certain: init is Process #1"