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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/tech-iana-ipv4-exhaustion

What did IANA's final recovered-pool IPv4 allocation mean?

It effectively exhausted IANA's allocatable IPv4 space.

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  1. IPv4 stopped routing worldwide
  2. IANA's allocatable space was effectively exhausted ✔
  3. Every device lost its address

Why: IANA made its final allocations from a pool of recovered IPv4 addresses in 2019. Exhaustion at IANA did not switch off IPv4, but it ended that central pool of fresh allocations.

Huh, didn't know that: Regional registries and networks can still manage, transfer, and reuse IPv4 addresses already allocated to them.

The dad joke
IPv4 ran out of room because every address was occupied.
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References

Answer: IANA's allocatable space was effectively exhausted. IANA made its final allocations from a pool of recovered IPv4 addresses in 2019. Exhaustion at IANA did not switch off IPv4, but it ended that central pool of fresh allocations.

  1. IANA: Final IPv4 Allocations Made from Recovered Pool www.iana.org/news/2019/final-ipv4-allocations-made-from-recovered-pool
    This effectively exhausts the address space IANA has to allocate
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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