[manet] Re: BABEL question

Hi Juliusz,

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Juliusz Chroboczek <[email protected]>
> Sent: Thursday, July 24, 2025 2:51 PM
> To: Templin (US), Fred L <[email protected]>
> Cc: Henning Rogge <[email protected]>; [email protected] List <[email protected]>
> Subject: Re: [manet] Re: BABEL question
> 
> > Imagine a prefix like: "2001:db8:f000::/48" where the lower 16 bits of
> > the /64 do not represent a subnet ID but instead identify a host route
> > delegation service.
> 
> I most respectfully disagree.
>
> I have no objection to defining a flat prefix of MANET interface
> addresses.  However, the prefix must be flat, as anything else is
> gratuitious complexity that doesn't bring any practical benefits.

Here I have to respectfully disagree - RFC9374 is an example of the type of
IPv6 prefix I am postulating. Bits 28-63 of the prefix Identify administrative
authorities responsible for keeping track of /128 addresses assigned from
their portion of the prefix. The parent prefix 2001:30::/28 would make
a good MLA candidate.

> (Henning is right, by the way, a /64 is good enough.  If I recall my
> undergrad combinatorics correctly, a /64 gives a vanishingly small
> probability of collision when the total number of nodes is less than
> 4.2 billion.  For a /48, the value is roughly 10¹².)

Here again, the service I am suggesting is one where a registration authority
keeps track of the /128 addresses provisioned from an IPv6 ::/N prefix for
N <= 64. It is like a DHCPv6 service for host routes. Whether the host generates
Its own /128 and then registers it with the registration authority, or whether
the registration authority generates a /128 and provides it to the host is a
small detail - they key thing is that there is a registration authority that
vouches for the uniqueness of the address and the host's authorization
to use it.

Without such a registration authority, it is truly every node for itself and
just a matter of statistical good luck that there will be no collisions. The
two approaches are really the difference between responsible address
administration and anarchy.

Thank you - Fred  

> -- Juliusz

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