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RFC 6598 / Provider shared addressing

Keep DNS and reachability in scope

05

Shared addresses should not leak into public DNS or global reverse lookups. Recognizing a special-use address also has limits as an application reachability test.

RFC 6598 · § 4EXAMPLE
4 / 4
Keep DNS and reachability in scopeSeparate application example receives a reported CPE outside address but gains no proof of global reachability. Shared values are not global endpoints, and even non-special values can be unadvertised behind a CGN.Keep DNS scope and reachability separateApplicationCPE outsidereports outside addressShared address is not a global endpointGlobal-looking value can still be unadvertisedAddress class alone does not prove reachabilityDefault DNS rules · §6 business qualification retained
04
Do not equate address class with reachability

Separate application case: discovering a CPE outside address does not prove an incoming global connection will work. Shared addresses are not global endpoints; even a global-looking value can be unadvertised behind CGN.

Source for this drawing: RFC 6598 · Read RFC section 4 ↗

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A message needs an address.

Think of a packet as a small addressed envelope. Devices pass it onward; transport protocols decide what delivery promises an application gets.

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Related RFCs and changes

“Updates” changes part of an earlier RFC. “Obsoletes” replaces it. This list shows selected related documents.

KEY POINT

Keep external DNS and reverse queries contained, while distinguishing MUST NOT from SHOULD filtering.

  • With a single DNS infrastructure, providers MUST NOT include Shared Address Space in zone files (§4). With split DNS, providers MUST NOT include it in external-facing zone files. The single-DNS rule is broader than merely hiding an address in one public response.
  • These default DNS containment rules are read with §6’s except-where-required hosted-CGN or similar business-relationship qualification. The drawings assume no such exception. A split internal view can be kept separate from the external view; this does not authorize leaking shared addresses into the external zone. The drawing distinguishes views, not a recipe for configuring a particular DNS server or a guarantee that every internal record is safe.
  • Reverse DNS queries for shared addresses MUST NOT be forwarded to global DNS infrastructure. DNS Providers SHOULD filter these requests on recursive nameservers (§§4,6). The forwarding prohibition is MUST NOT; the recursive-filter recommendation remains SHOULD.
  • A reverse lookup for100.64.1.2 uses2.1.64.100.in-addr.arpa. Reversing labels is a chosen worked example of the query to contain; the RFC’s rule applies to all addresses in the shared /10, not only this spelling.
  • §5.1 explains why an application that discovers the CPE outside shared address should not treat it as a direct global endpoint. Conversely, a non-special-use address is not a reachability guarantee when hidden behind CGN or absent from global routing. Classifying an address does not create an incoming NAT mapping.
  • §5.2 describes application and6to4 impacts discussed in2012, not current measurements or a promise that every named application fails. This guide gives no new6to4 setup advice. The IESG note retains the commitment to IPv6; Shared Address Space neither fixes all CGN limitations nor supplies authentication/encryption.
DETAILS

Separate DNS views and a separate application risk example. Records and addresses are fictional QA examples. No public DNS queries or zone edits are made to demonstrate these rules.

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