1)    Introduction:

    

        EzIP is an enhancement to the IPv4 based Internet by deploying an overlaying network in parallel to the exiting facility at arm's length. So that simultaneous operations of both can coexist, enabling the comparison of merits between the two and the full validation of the EzIP approach, before choosing either.

 

    To achieve these goals, it is important to minimize the differences between the two environments. This set of documents describe the equipment invoved, enhancements required and how to identify candidates to be qualified a EzIP network building blocks.

    

 

    A.    IoTs (Internet of Things):

 

 

    These are terminal equipment such as PCs, printers, cameras, sensors, alarms, entertainment, telephony, appliances, utilities, telehealth, etc. that are deployed on a premises for end users, thus generically referred to as CPE (Customer Premises Equipment) on private networks. Due to their diversity, legacy and quantity, it is impossible to upgrade them in any meaningful quantity for starting the EzIP operation. Instead, EzIP plans to utilize RGs below for completely buffering all IoTs from the proposed EzIP network to be established by SPRs below. Consequently, all IoTs can continue to function normally unperturbed.

 

    B.    RGs (Routing/Residential Gateways):

 

    These are based on the common Home WiFi Routers that interface private networks with the above IoTs to the public Internet. RGs are those WiFi Routers with the upstream (WAN) ports enhanced to be 240/4 compatible.

 

    C.    SPRs (Semi-Public Routers):

 

    These are equivalent to the full range of Internet equipment such as Edge, Aggregate, Transit, Core and Backbone Routers that ordinary users would just categorically regard as “the Internet”. In the EzIP environment, these Routers may be degenerated to L3 (Layer 3) Managed Switches that forward packets destined to static 240/4 addresses across the EzIP network.

 

    The EzIP plan will deploy RGs and SPRs described in B. & C. above, respectively, to form the overlay EzIP network that serves the unperturbed IoTs in A.

 

2)    Technical Feasibility:

 

    As reported in Appendix D. of EzIP’s IETF Draft, enabling an existing networking device to support 240/4 capability can be as simple as commenting out one line code in the device’s existing program that has been disabling the use of 240/4, if one has the access to the source code. On the other hand, an open-source forum, OpenWrt has enabled this capability in its program kernel since v19.07.3 which can be flashed into a long list (at the below URL) of commercial Network Switches and Home WiFi Routers. Furthermore, Linux and several branded networking OSs have been known to support 240/4.

 

    https://toh.openwrt.org/?view=normal

 

    A.    Practical Implementation:

 

    The skill required to flash a device’s memory with OpenWrt firmware is reasonable, but may still be too involved for the general public, thus discouraging the wide acceptance of the OpenWrt approach. To overcome this last hurdle, Avinta has been compiling lists of RGs and SPRs that are either 240/4 netblock enabled or OpenWrt preloaded at the factory. So that they can be used like ordinary networking devices, without special attention to 240/4 compatibility.

 

    B.    Note that the candidate lists presented here are WIP (Work In Progress) files functioning as an information clearing house. They will be continuously updated and expanded as more material becomes available.

 

    C.    Along this line, any leads for improving these files will be much appreciated. Please approach Avinta.com via our “Contact Us” facility for in-depth discussions.