Last IPv4 addresses may already be cluttered

[alphaomega]

Ab interesting article on the last 16 000 000 IPv4 addresses available. How does this possibly affect web designers? Just think of having website with large amount of traffic coming from somewhere and you pay for it. Read more here:
http://www.arnnet.com.au/article/350...ered/?eid=-101

[morestar]

No one can set up a web server on an IP (Internet Protocol) address that hasn't been allocated, but anyone can write code that points to the unused addresses.

I wish I knew what that means. If someone could explain how that is possible from a coding perspective that would be dandy...

IPv4 only allows for about 4.3 billion addresses, and that supply is expected to run out within the next two years.

That's incredible. This doesn't mean there will be another 4.3 billion new web addresses on the net does it?

Thank you for the post and information AO. If you or anyone else could elaborate on what this all means from a laymen's point of view that would be great. I host websites, set up hosting, email addresses and even have a few dedicated IPs but I know next to almost nothing about IP addresses and how they really work other than the fact that they point to or are pointed to domains - I forgot in which order at the moment.

[Tech Manager]

In my article, "Is the Internet Running Out of IP Addresses?" I go into this in some detail. There are currently over 200 million IPv4 addresses available. This does not include special reserved addresses.

If IPv4 is all there was, then we would run out of address space soon. In response to the limitations of the IPv4 address space, the Internet Engineering Task force (IETF) created a solution known as IPv6. IPv6 expands available address space from 32 to 128 bits.

IPv6 vastly increases the availability of network addresses. IPv6, while not used by the general public as broadly as IPv4, is available for use by most systems worldwide.

I don't think web designers will have much to fear about address space in the near future.

I wouldn't spend much time worrying about it.

[deepsand]

Setting aside the facts that a very large no. of reserved IPv4 IP Addresses can be recalled if necessary, and that IPv6 is being implemented, shared hosting already obviates the need for the majority of sites having their own unique IP Addresses.

[Tina23]

there are some reserved ipv4 addresses? any info on how and when they will come into use?
i think ipv6 will handle all these issues, interesting post btw.