Current networks are mostly based on the IP protocol: the
entire internet relies on it for the propagation of information.
The currently most used version is IPv4, but this version only
allows for approximately 4.3 billion addresses. More than a
decade ago, the conclusion was drawn that we would
eventually run out of addresses because with allocating
addresses, a lot of them were wasted: a block of 65 thousand
addresses would be assigned to one company with far less
computers. Consequently, in December 1995 the new version
was specified: IPv6