IP Addressing Fundamentals

Address Lending for Network Stability

RFC 2008 was published in October 1996. It foreshadowed RFC 2050/Best Current Practice (BCP) #12, and it remains in effect as Best Current Practice #7. Although it tackles the rather verbose and cumbersome topic of “Implications of Various Address Allocation Policies for Internet Routing,” it remains noteworthy for establishing the concept of address lending. More importantly, it clearly documented the benefits of address lending in contrast to address ownership. RFC 2050, in comparison, takes a more limited focus by urging ISPs to provide their customers with an initial address space that should be reclaimed after each customer leaves.

By this point, you should be quite familiar with RFC 1918 addresses, ...