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If you have read our article on what is an IP address then you know that all IP addresses on the internet are unique. This brings us to the question of who controls IP address distribution and makes sure none are duplicated? The answer to this question is the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA).
IANA is managed by the American non-profit organization "Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers" or ICANN for short. ICANN was established in 1998 and took over responsibilities previously managed by the U.S. government. According to ICANN, the organizations mission is to "help ensure a stable, secure, and unified global Internet" and IANA is the department in ICANN that manages IP addresses.
IANA manages global IP addresses distribution using five Regional Internet Registries (RIRs). These five RIRs receive IP blocks from IANA and are responsible for distribution IP addresses within their region.
Now you know the effort put in to making sure you have an IP address each time you connect to the internet. If you have any questions then feel free to post in the forums.
IANA is managed by the American non-profit organization "Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers" or ICANN for short. ICANN was established in 1998 and took over responsibilities previously managed by the U.S. government. According to ICANN, the organizations mission is to "help ensure a stable, secure, and unified global Internet" and IANA is the department in ICANN that manages IP addresses.
IANA manages global IP addresses distribution using five Regional Internet Registries (RIRs). These five RIRs receive IP blocks from IANA and are responsible for distribution IP addresses within their region.
The five RIRs and Regions:
- ARIN (American Registry for Internet Numbers): North America
- RIPE NCC (Réseaux IP Européens Network Coordination Centre): Europe, Middle East, and parts of Central Asia
- APNIC (Asia-Pacific Network Information Centre): Asia Pacific
- LACNIC (Latin America and Caribbean Network Information Centre): Latin America and parts of the Caribbean
- AFRINIC (African Network Information Centre) : Africa
How are IP address distributed?
There are several layers involved in the distribution of IP addresses and eventual assignment to specific device on the internet:- Global Allocation: IANA assigns blocks of IP addresses to RIRs based on demand and growth projections within a region.
- Regional Allocation: Each RIR allocates blocks of IP addresses to internet service providers (ISPs), governments, education institutions, and other organizations within its region.
- Local Allocation: ISPs and other organizations assign IP addresses that they receive from RIRs to individual users on their network. IP address can be assigned as either static or dynamic.
Now you know the effort put in to making sure you have an IP address each time you connect to the internet. If you have any questions then feel free to post in the forums.
