Re: Yahoo and IPv6

[Owen DeLong <owen () delong com>]

On May 9, 2011, at 6:46 PM, Cameron Byrne wrote:

> On May 9, 2011 6:11 PM, "Owen DeLong" <owen () delong com> wrote:
> > On May 9, 2011, at 9:04 AM, Cameron Byrne wrote:
> >
> > > On Mon, May 9, 2011 at 8:16 AM, Arie Vayner <ariev () vayner net> wrote:
> > > > Actually, I have just noticed a slightly more disturbing thing on the Yahoo
> > > > IPv6 help page...
> > > >
> > > > I have IPv6 connectivity through a HE tunnel, and I can reach IPv6 services
> > > > (the only issue is that my ISP's DNS is not IPv6 enabled), but I tried to
> > > > run the "Start IPv6 Test" tool at http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/ipv6/ and
> > > > it says:
> > > > "We detected an issue with your IPv6 configuration. On World IPv6 Day, you
> > > > will have issues reaching Yahoo!, as well as your other favorite web sites.
> > > > We recommend disabling
> > > > IPv6<http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=ArHGqIAYvt_4fpp3N3vLzmNRJ3tG/SIG=11vv8jc1f/**http%3A//help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/ipv6/general/ipv6-09.html>,
> > > > or seeking assistance in order to fix your system's IPv6 configuration
> > > > through your ISP or computer manufacturer."
> > > >
> > > > What disturbs me is the piece saying "We recommend disabling
> > > > IPv6<http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=ArHGqIAYvt_4fpp3N3vLzmNRJ3tG/SIG=11vv8jc1f/**http%3A//help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/ipv6/general/ipv6-09.html>
> > > > ", with a very easy link...
> > >
> > > No IPv6 is better than broken* IPv6.
> > For production, yes. However, in terms of recommendations to prepare for
> > IPv6 day, uh, no... The better recommendation would be to explain the
> > exact issue detected and suggest ways for the user to resolve it.
>
> I hope you are not insinuating that ipv6 is not production today, many real prod sites are ds today :)  If one 
> properly working website fails over ipv6, they will all fail for that user  (modulo routing table fragmentation). I 
> would really like the world to treat v6 as real production, and not doing so is one of the major hurtles to v6 
> deployment.
Not at all. I work for one of the largest IPv6 prod. networks today.

I would like the world to treat IPv6 as real production, too. Telling users to turn it off
isn't that.

My point was that from the user's perspective, for production networking purposes,
having working IPv4 and no IPv6 is, today, better than having working IPv4 and
broken IPv6.

For purposes of the user preparing for IPv6 day, having both protocols on and identifying
and resolving the problems with IPv6 is better than turning IPv6 off.

Sorry, I assumed everyone here knew that I was a strong IPv6 advocate. I believe there
was effort on this very list to have my name changed to "Mr. IPv6."

> Agreed. It would be nice to diagnose and fix, there are web sites for that, but that is not yahoo's issue or scope to 
> "the masses" who don't know and should not care about L3 protocols. The only practical solution at scale is to turn 
> it off at the client to restore service (web page loads ... ).  The other practical solution, at scale,  is keep v6 
> off at the server .... which is, IMHO, worse.
At scale, perhaps, but, if you are choosing to provide a "test IPv6" button, then, I think you should take on some
responsibility for putting something better than "meh, failed... Turn it off". behind that.

Owen