February 14, 2012 archive

Feb 14

Network Computing: Time To Buckle Down and Start an IPv6 Project

Over on the Network Computer site, author Robert Mullins recently said it’s time to buckle down and start an IPv6 project. The first of an apparent three-part series, this article primarily provides an overview of the issues around the transition to IPv6, mentions the upcoming World IPv6 Launch, addresses the “chicken and egg” situation around IPv6 deployment and suggests that organizations look at trying some kind of IPv6 project.

According to the article, part two of the series will look at how to deploy an IPv6 network on top of an existing IPv4 network.

The author very nicely mentions Deploy360 (thanks!) and this is what we’re here for!  We want to help you get IPv6 deployed in some way within your network and organization.  Please do take a look at the many IPv6 resources we have available… and if you can’t find what you are looking for, please let us know so that we can find those resources!

Feb 14

4 IETF Mailing Lists To Follow For Monitoring IPv6

Want to monitor the ongoing evolution of IETF standards related to IPv6?  Here are 4 mailing lists and the associated IETF working groups you may consider joining.  All lists are open to anyone to join.  Note that several of these can have a very large amount of traffic.  Each of the mailing list pages also contains a link to the mailing list public archives if you would like to see what is going on in the lists prior to (or instead of) subscribing.

  • v6ops mailing list – v6ops charter

    The IPv6 Operations Working Group (v6ops) develops guidelines for the operation of a shared IPv4/IPv6 Internet and provides operational guidance on how to deploy IPv6 into existing IPv4-only networks, as well as into new network installations.

  • 6man mailing list - 6man charter

    The 6man working group is responsible for the maintenance, upkeep, and advancement of the IPv6 protocol specifications and addressing architecture. It is not chartered to develop major changes or additions to the IPv6 specifications. The working group will address protocol limitations/issues discovered during deployment and operation. It will also serve as a venue for discussing the proper location for working on IPv6-related issues within the IETF.

  • 6lowpan mailing list - 6lowpan charter

    The 6lowpan Working Group has completed two RFCs: “IPv6 over Low-Power Wireless Personal Area Networks (6LoWPANs): Overview, Assumptions, Problem Statement, and Goals” (RFC4919) that documents and discusses the problem space and “Transmission of IPv6 Packets over IEEE 802.15.4 Networks” (RFC4944) which defines the format for the adaptation between IPv6 and 802.15.4.The Working Group will generate the necessary documents to ensure interoperable implementations of 6LoWPAN networks and will define the necessary security and management protocols and constructs for building 6LoWPAN networks, paying particular attention to protocols already available.

    6lowpan will work closely with the Routing Over Low power and Lossy networks (roll) working group which is developing IPv6 routing solutions for low power and lossy networks (LLNs).

  • 6renum mailing list - 6renum charter

    As outlined in RFC 5887, renumbering, especially for medium to large  sites and networks, is currently viewed as an expensive, painful, and  error-prone process, avoided by network managers as much as possible.

    The task of the 6RENUM working group is to document existing renumbering  practices for enterprise site networks and to identify specific renumbering problems or ‘gaps’ in the context of partial or site-wide  renumbering. Completion of these tasks should provide a basis for  future work to identify and develop point solutions or system solutions  to address those problems or to stimulate such development in other working groups as appropriate.

    6RENUM is chartered to perform an analysis of IPv6 site renumbering. If  the analysis leads to conclusions that are also applicable to IPv4 that  will be an advantage, but it is not an objective of the WG to make its  outputs more widely available than IPv6. Similarly the WG is targeting enterprise networks, but the analysis may also be applicable to SOHO or other (e.g. ad-hoc) scenarios.

There are other IETF Working Groups (see full list) that may handle other IPv6 interactions, for instance the BEHAVE working group handling NAT issues, but these are the primary working groups working on IPv6 issues.