What happened to IPv5? and other oft asked IPv6 questions

1
What happened to IPv5? and other oft asked IPv6
questions

• The Internet Society, IPv6 and You
• Susan Estrada

2
Is the Internet about to run out of IP address
numbers?

• Yes and no. For the version of the Internet
  Protocol that underpins the Internet today (IPv4)
  there is a limited amount of unused space
  remaining. While estimates vary, based on recent
  trends it is anticipated that the current pool of
  unallocated IPv4 addresses will be consumed
  sometime around 2010 - 2011.However, an enormous
  amount of IP address space exists under IPv6.
  IPv6, in fact, was specifically designed to fix
  the address limitations of IPv4. IPv6 addresses
  have been available for allocation since 1999 and
  the RIRs, ICANN, ISOC and others are encouraging
  network operators to apply for IPv6 addresses and
  implement IPv6 in their networks. Refer to the
  following announcements fromAfriNICAPNICARINL
  ACNIC

3
What is IPv6?

• IPv6 is the new version of the Internet address
  protocol that has been developed to supplement
  (and eventually replace) IPv4, the version that
  underpins the Internet today.

4
What happened to IPv5?

• Version 5 of the IP family was an experimental
  protocol developed in the 1980s. IPv5 (also
  called the Internet Stream Protocol) was never
  widely deployed. Since the number 5 was already
  allocated, this number was not considered for the
  successor to IPv4. Several proposals were
  suggested as the IPv4 successor, and each was
  assigned a number. In the end, it happened that
  the one with version number 6 was selected.

5
How does IPv6 solve the problem of IPv4 address
exhaustion?

• Simply by having a lot more address space to
  uniquely identify devices that are connected to
  the Internet. IPv4 has a theoretical maximum of
  about 4 billion addresses whereas IPv6 has an
  unthinkable theoretical maximum about 340
  trillion, trillion, trillion addresses. In actual
  use, IPv6 addresses are structured for routing
  and other purposes and as a result the number of
  addresses available is effectively less, but
  still extremely large.For the end user, the
  large amount of IPv6 address space meansHome
  users will generally be given blocks of addresses
  sufficient to number multiple networks and
  thousands of devices. (In contrast, under IPv4,
  home users today typically get a single
  address.)Enterprises and small businesses will
  generally be given enough to number a substantial
  number of networks and tens of thousands of
  devices while larger sites will get
  significantly more.

6
What happens when IPv4 address pool is finally
depleted?

• Existing devices and networks connected to the
  Internet through IPv4 addresses will continue to
  work as they do now. In fact, IPv4-based networks
  are expected to co-exist with IPv6-based networks
  at the same time.However, for network operators
  and other entities that rely on Internet
  numbering allocations, it will become
  increasingly difficult and expensive (and
  eventually prohibitively so) to obtain new IPv4
  address space to grow their networks. The cost
  and complexity associated with keeping track of
  and managing remaining IPv4 address space
  efficiently will also increase.Therefore,
  network operators and enterprises will need to
  implement IPv6 in order to ensure long-term
  network growth and global connectivity.

7
Network Address Translation devices (NATs) allow
many computers to use the same IPv4 address.
Wont more NATs solve everything?

• No. Deploying more NATs is not an adequate
  long-term solution. NATs can work reasonably well
  for certain applications, such as allowing
  multiple users in a small office or home network
  to access simple Web pages or mail services.
  Computers that sit behind NATs, however, do not
  have true end-to-end Internet connectivity. NATs
  complicate many real time and innovative
  Internet applications, such as Internet telephony
  and multimedia distribution. This can be
  particularly problematic for large corporate
  networks and users that want to run sophisticated
  applications, and also for those who are
  developing new applications. In addition,
  diagnosing and fixing problems on a network full
  of NATs is generally much harder than on a
  network without them.Furthermore, as the
  difficulty of obtaining IPv4 address space
  increases, it is inevitable that some sites will
  only support IPv6. IPv6, therefore, will be
  required to ensure global connectivity.Top

8
But wont we still need NATs for security?

• No. All the security features provided in an IPv4
  NAT box can be provided by an IPv6 router with
  firewall capabilities, without the need to modify
  the address.

9
Are there other advantages to IPv6 besides
increased address space?

• The main advantage of IPv6 is that it provides
  much more address space. Being a more recent
  protocol, IPv6 does have a few design
  improvements over IPv4, particularly in the areas
  of autoconfiguration, mobility, and
  extensibility. However, increased address space
  is the main benefit of IPv6.

10
I've heard some people say IPv6 is more secure
than IPv4, while others say it is less secure
than IPv4. What is this about?

• Debates concerning IPv4 versus IPv6 security
  often focus on different aspects of network
  deployment. It has been said that IPv6 supports
  improved security because the specifications
  mandate the inclusion of the IP Security (IPsec)
  suite of protocols in products. In IPv4,
  including IPsec is optional, but it is commonly
  available. Because the IPsec protocol suite is
  designed to be indifferent to IP versions, the
  technology works generally the same way in both
  IPv4 and IPv6. In this way, the benefits of using
  IPsec are similar in either environment. The
  increased address space provided by IPv6 does
  eliminate the need to use NAT devices, which are
  pervasive in many IPv4 networks. Broadly
  speaking, security is harder to deploy and
  troubleshoot when NATs are present in a network
  as they disrupt IP layer traceability and
  therefore security audit trails. In addition, the
  address rewriting that NAT performs is considered
  by some security protocols to be a security
  violation. Thus, with the increased address space
  eliminating the need to use NATs, IPv6
  potentially facilitates deployment of end-to-end
  security.Many of the IPv6 security issues
  reported today have to do with vulnerabilities in
  individual products, not the IPv6 protocol. IPv4
  is widely deployed and individual IPv4 products
  have gone through the recurring cycle of
  discovering and fixing security vulnerabilities
  and other bugs. Because IPv6 products are
  comparatively new, they have not benefited from
  similar experience. Consequently, security
  vulnerabilities in IPv6 products will need to be
  discovered and repaired, just like for other
  products. Also, the operational practices built
  up over many years for IPv4 networks will have to
  be adapted for IPv6. New practices will need to
  be developed for the dual stack IPv4 and IPv6
  environment. This will be accelerated as more
  network operators deploy IPv6 and continue to
  exchange information about experience and best
  practices through established operators groups,
  the IETF Operations area, and other forums.
  Overall, maintaining network security will
  continue to be a challenging undertaking in both
  IPv4 and IPv6 contexts. Neither protocol provides
  a simple solution to the complexities associated
  with securing networks. Like with IPv4, network
  operators should become educated on IPv6 security
  practices and keep up-to-date with developments
  as they plan for and deploy IPv6.

11
Is IPv6 ready for deployment now?

• There are three basic aspects involved in the
  deployment of IPv6 the protocol, the products,
  and the operational practices.The IPv6
  ProtocolIPv6 has benefited from over 10 years of
  development within the Internet Engineering Task
  Force (IETF). The core standards have been stable
  for many years and deployed in both research and
  operational contexts. In addition to the core
  specifications, IPv6 includes a large number of
  individual standards that have a more limited
  applicability and are only needed in specialised
  environments. Additional development work will
  continue in these areas as new issues are
  discovered in response to deployment-specific
  scenarios. Like the continuing evolution of IPv4,
  there will always be updates and additions to
  IPv6 in response to deployment experience. Thus,
  even though the core IPv6 specifications are
  stable, there will continue to be ongoing work on
  IPv6-related specifications.IPv6 ProductsThe
  core IPv6 specifications are becoming
  increasingly available as a standard part of
  products and service offerings. However, not all
  products are fully IPv6 capable at this time and
  some significant upgrade gaps remain, especially
  in low-end consumer equipment. Similarly, while
  many software applications and operating systems
  (especially in open source code) have already
  been updated for IPv6, not all products
  (including some from major vendors) are fully
  IPv6 ready. It is best to check with specific
  vendors on the IPv6 readiness of their individual
  products and services. In addition, in-house
  application software or custom code that
  interfaces with the network will likely need
  updating for IPv6. IPv6 Operational
  PracticesOperational practices built up over
  many years for IPv4 networks will have to be
  adapted for IPv6. There is growing experience in
  the deployment of IPv6 in research networks and
  RD projects, while some production networks
  (primarily in Japan and Korea) have been running
  IPv6 for a number of years. IPv6 traffic today,
  however, remains small in comparison to IPv4. As
  more network operators deploy IPv6 and continue
  to exchange information about experience and best
  practices through established operators groups,
  the IETF, and other forums, the community
  knowledge level will grow.In summary, IPv6 is
  ready for deployment, but additional effort is
  needed to make its use pervasive. The IETF,
  equipment vendors, application developers,
  network operators and end users all have roles to
  play in ensuring the successful wide-spread
  deployment of IPv6.

12
How much will the transition to IPv6 cost?

• Since network needs and businesses differ, IPv6
  transition strategies and related costs will also
  vary between organisations. Hardware and software
  vendors are increasingly integrating IPv6 as a
  standard feature in products, allowing
  organisations to deploy IPv6 as part of routine
  upgrade cycles. For many organisations,
  operational costs, including staff training, and
  one-time administrative costs to add IPv6 to
  management databases and documentation, are
  likely to constitute the majority of the cost of
  upgrading to IPv6. Organisations that run
  in-house customised software will experience
  additional costs to upgrade these programs to
  IPv6, and enterprises that have test/release
  processes will see a marginal additional cost for
  the IPv6 configuration tests.For end-users,
  operating systems such as Mac OS X, Windows, and
  Linux now incorporate IPv6 within their latest
  releases and will automatically use IPv6 if it is
  available. Applications are expected to follow as
  the global demand for IPv6 increases.

13
I have enough addresses today. Why should I
bother implementing IPv6?

• IPv6 is an important part of ensuring continued
  growth and accessibility of your services to the
  rest of the Internet and emerging markets in
  particular. As the Internet progressively becomes
  a dual IPv4/IPv6 network, ensuring that you are
  IPv6 enabled will be critical for retaining
  universal Internet connectivity for your clients,
  users, and subscribers, business partners and
  suppliers. Indeed, as the difficulty and cost of
  obtaining IPv4 address space increases, it is
  inevitable that some sites will only support
  IPv6. Connectivity with such sites (and
  customers) will require IPv6. It is also worth
  considering what services and devices may need to
  be supported over the next few years as the
  remaining IPv4 pool become depleted. Your
  existing address allocations may be insufficient
  to support a sudden increase in the number of
  connected devices per person (as many
  organisations experienced with the rapid
  deployment of IP-enabled wireless handheld
  products and similar devices a few years ago).

14
Is there a specific date when everything needs to
be upgraded to IPv6?

• No. There is no specific date when everything
  must be upgraded to IPv6 (although some
  organisations, including governments, have
  already identified target dates for their own
  IPv6 implementation. IPv6 and its transition
  mechanisms have been designed for a long period
  of co-existence with IPv4 and it is expected that
  IPv4-only systems and applications will survive
  for many years. However, IPv6-only systems are
  expected to arise and many of these users are
  likely to be in emerging business markets and
  developing countries.Implementing IPv6 requires
  planning and with IPv4 address pool exhaustion
  expected around 2010-2011, planning needs to
  start now. Network operators and administrators
  should already be incorporating IPv6 into their
  network upgrade and procurement plans.

15
When will I need to turn off IPv4?

• Possibly never. The purpose of deploying IPv6 is
  to ensure network growth and continued
  interconnectivity when IPv4 address space becomes
  depleted and difficult to obtain. In addition, as
  the global Internet continues to expand, it is
  likely that some Internet sites will only be
  available via IPv6.To avoid problems, one should
  be fully IPv6-enabled by the time IPv6-only sites
  start appearing. However, in practice, it is only
  the public (or user) facing part of an
  enterprise's infrastructure that needs to be IPv6
  enabled at the outset. The back-end
  infrastructure - which users do not interact with
  directly - can continue to be based entirely on
  IPv4, so long as that is the most cost-effective
  approach. (Enterprises may determine that it is
  more cost-effective to progressively turn off
  IPv4 in parts of their network once it is no
  longer needed or in significant use.)One should
  expect, however, that it might never be
  cost-effective (or possible) to upgrade certain
  legacy systems. Thus, it will likely be a decade
  or more before enterprise sites find themselves
  in a position to consider completely turning off
  IPv4. In practice, there is no need to turn it
  off so long as IPv4-only applications still
  remain in use.

16
I run an ISP with a block of IPv4 address space.
Can I just convert that into IPv6 space?

• You will need to obtain new IPv6 addresses in
  addition to your existing IPv4 address blocks.
  IPv4 address space that you have today can still
  be used in a dual IPv4-IPv6 environment. The RIRs
  all have policies that make it straightforward
  for an ISP with IPv4 space to apply for and
  receive IPv6 address space. You should contact
  the RIR for your region or your ISP for more
  information on how to acquire IPv6 addresses.It
  may also be good idea to use this opportunity to
  redesign your addressing plan, taking advantage
  of the greater flexibility of IPv6 to assign
  subscriber address blocks more optimally.
  Similarly, customer sites may use IPv6 as an
  opportunity to redesign and optimise their
  internal addressing plan. However, it may be
  possible to re-use an existing subnet addressing
  plan within the new IPv6 block, if that is
  preferred.

17
I run IT services. What should I be doing now to
get ready?

• Plan for IPv6 as you would for any major service
  upgrade.Do an audit of your current IPv6
  capabilities and readiness. Assess the level of
  IPv6 technical knowledge within your staff and
  make plans for staff development and training
  that will support IPv6 implementation.Think
  about which of your services will lose business
  if they are only accessible to IPv4-users and
  make them a priority for IPv6 capability. For
  example, you may plan to implement an
  IPv6-enabled front-end Web server immediately,
  before converting your internal network.Remove
  obstacles to enabling IPv6 including identifying
  any legacy systems that can not be upgraded, and
  choose a solution for them (most likely, the
  solution will be an application level proxy that
  can support both IPv4 and IPv6 for the remaining
  lifetime of that system). Plan upgrades and
  purchases so that you dont find yourself needing
  to deploy and enable IPv6 but discover at a late
  stage that you are not ready because a key system
  dependency is not IPv6 capable.Contact your
  vendors to find out about IPv6 support in their
  current products and future releases and ask your
  ISP about their plans to support IPv6.

18
ISOC is looking at IPv6 education

• HELP!?/lt0
• http//www.isoc.org/educpillar/resources/ipv6_faq.
  shtml
• Leslie Daigle at ISOC
• daigle_at_isoc.org
• Susan Estrada at Aldea
• susan_at_aldea.com