Twenty-five years ago, on August 3, 1999, ESnet made history by receiving the first production IPv6 netblock in North America, marking a significant milestone in internet development. Assigned by the American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN), this allocation, known as 2001:400::/32, remains in use today and represents a foundational moment in the deployment of IPv6 technology.
- ESnet was issued the first production IPv6 netblock on August 3, 1999.
- Pioneering IPv6: This allocation by ARIN was the first of its kind in North America and potentially the world.
- IPv6, developed by the IETF in the 1990s, was designed to expand the addressing scheme to support the growing internet.
- Ongoing Impact: ESnet continues to drive IPv6 adoption, co-leading the Department of Energy’s IPv6-only Implementation Team and promoting IPv6 in research and education networks globally.
- For more on this historic milestone, read the blog post “25 Years of Production IPv6 in ESnet” by network engineer and IPv6 expert Michael Sinatra.