IP Routing Question

[mike neuliep]

D Monster wrote:

  Both.  As well as anything else IP can carry.  I want to know if I can
use a private IP address hop between two public IP hops and not break
anything.  I'm getting answers that range from "you can('t) do that" to
"it should work, but it's not According to Hoyle".  But I don't yet have
a definitive answer as to =why= it doesn't work, if indeed it doesn't.
Because if nobody can tell me why it won't work, then it should work, and
all those people using /30 subnets to connect two routers can release
those public IP addresses back to extend the life of IPv4 a few more
years without requiring a total rebuild of the infrastructure.

And then Mike wrote:

It would work BUT it would require writing many RFCs.  I am going to say you
definately do not want to use a private IP between two public sites.  Problems
will arise when duplicate networks appear behind a companie's firewall and out
on the internet.  Internal routers will route internet traffic destined for 
private IPs on the internet to the same internal network number.  You're 
proposing nothing short of moving private address space back into the public.

If you wanted to use private IPs in the public internet, you can't guarantee
uniqueness.  In IP this create....well a problem.  So if you nail it down to
one reason why you should not do this, it would be duplicate IP networks and
addressing.  I hope this helps.

	Mike
.