IPv4 Addresses

What IP addressing does my RISE Business Dedicated service come with?

Your service comes with a single static IPv4 address as part of a /30 linknet. It can optionally (and at no cost) come configured with IPv6 addressing - a /64 linknet and a /56 routed subnet.

What if I need more IPv4 addresses?

RISE (as with any provider) has an approval process for additional IPv4 addressing. This requires you to provide a written justification for the IPs including what they will be used for and why NAT or IPv6 aren't possible solutions, along with a network diagram. There is also a one time provisioning charge and a monthly recurring charge associated with additional IPv4 addresses.

Why does this approval process and charge exist?

Very simply, IPv4 addressing is a limited resource. There are only 4 billion IPv4 addresses, and many of these are reserved for specific functions. Given the explosion of new internet connections over the last years, we are also very close to running out. APNIC, the organisation that assigns new IP addresses in the Asia Pacific region, is now enforcing it's "End of Days" policy which means that RISE (along with any other existing provider) can no longer acquire new IP addresses from them. For further information on IPv4 Exhaustion, see the  Wikipedia article.

What other options do I have aside from additional IPv4 addressing?

In almost all situations, NAT is a solution - it allows you to share one IPv4 address between many end hosts. It means you can use one IPv4 address for multiple services, even if they are running on different physical devices. NAT is also supported on every modern Enterprise router, meaning this won't cost you anything extra.

In other situations, IPv6 may be a solution. IPv6 is the future of the internet, and offers an effectively unlimited number of addresses (RISE already has an allocation of IPv6 that exceeds the entire IPv4 pool.) IPv6 does require support at both the server and the client, but more and more services are supporting IPv6. Most modern routers fully support IPv6.

There are certain situations which neither NAT nor IPv6 can solve, and they typically involve multiple different services that require the same port, such as a number of different SSL encrypted websites. In this case you will need to go through the approval process.

OK, I think I really do need more IPv4... What are my options?

If you expect to need a lot of IP addresses within the next year (100+), you can apply directly to  APNIC for IP addressing. This will typically be cheaper and more flexible than using RISE IP addresses, and RISE is happy to provide advice on this application process.

For lower numbers of IPs, you can apply to RISE, following the procedure below. 

How do I apply for new IPv4 addressing from RISE?

To apply for additional IPv4 resources you will need to provide:

• technical justification
• network diagram(s) (making it clear whether you need a larger linknet or a routed subnet)
• In the technical justification please include:

• reasoning for IPv4 resource requirement including a listing of services that will be provided (such as "SSL based web servers x 3)
• reasoning why NAT and/or IPV6 are not a sufficient solutions

How long does it take to get additional IP addresses allocated?

Provided all the criteria are met, new IP addresses can typically be provisioned within 24hrs.

How will my IPs be configured?

There are a couple of options for how your IPv4 addresses can be configured.

Larger Linknet

In this scenario, the linknet you use to connect to RISE is expanded - by default it is a /30, and it will be expanded to a /29 or /28 as required. RISE will not provide greater than a /28 in this configuration.

Many customers like this option as it is simple to configure, however depending on your configuration, it can be harder to diagnose problems, and it also requires you to change your current IP addressing (swap your existing linknet for a new, larger one.) Additionally, an allocated range can't be fully utilised for services - an IP is required for the RISE gateway, and two additional IPs are used for the network and broadcast addresses of the subnet - further information can be found in the  Wikipedia article on subnets.

Routed Subnet

In this scenario, you maintain your existing /30 subnet and RISE will route an additional subnet to your IP. It is typical to then use NAT on the IPs to point them at your servers. This provides an excellent level of security and flexibility, along with a greater efficiency in your new subnet - you can use each IP in the range.