Point-to-Point – /31 Point-to-Point Bitmasks

best practicesipv4point-to-pointrfcsubnet

When is it appropriate to use a /31 network in production, and is using them considered good practice? On a point-to-point link, broadcasts shouldn't be required, so is there any compelling case for just using /31 over /30 as it seems /30s are still widely deployed and prevalent.
This has been defined by RFC 3021.

Are there any use-cases for using a /31 other than to conserve address space? Does the introduction of /31s bring a new set of concerns that are not found in /30s?

Are /31s generally only seen in public space, particularly for ISPs, or are they commonly used in private space too for both ISPs and Enterprises?

Best Answer

We have used /31s in our core (Brocade, Juniper, Cisco) for over three years with no issues whatsoever.

This is a production ISP network, and hence its appropriate to use them in a production environment as long as your kit supports it, and you've tested it

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