Echoes of Y2K: Engineers Buzz That Internet Is Outgrowing Its Gear

Network engineers are buzzing as the Internet outgrows some of its gear.

While a precise count is elusive, many technicians are reporting that the total number of world-wide Internet routes is near or already past half a million, usually abbreviated 512K. Older network routers from Cisco Systems and other makers can't hold any more unless they are tweaked.

The problem also draws attention to a real, if arcane, issue with the Internet's plumbing: the shrinking number of addresses available under the most popular routing system. That system, called IPv4, can handle only a few billion addresses. But there are already nearly 13 billion devices hooked up to the Internet, and the number is quickly growing, Cisco said.

Version 6, or IPv6, can hold many orders of magnitude more addresses but has been slow to catch on.