What a way to start the month!
NetworkWorld reports the last two IPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4) addresses for the Internet have just been assigned, and, in line with predictions, we’ve run out of addresses. All new Internet addresses now employ IPv6 address spacing.
Why do we care? well as we adopt IPv6 addressing some of the older equipment that is in place may not be able to handle the new addressing scheme. Most people won’t notice because both protocols will be running in parallel for awhile but eventually you are going to run into some problems. This issue has been a point of concern since the 1990s and most systems are already designed with this change over in mind. As issues begin to come up you will want to keep in mind that this could be a problem for you.
Vint Cerf on IPv4 depletion: 'Who the hell knew how much address space we needed?'
http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/26/vint-cerf-on-ipv4-depletion-who-the-hell-knew-how-much-address/