nanog mailing list archives

The continuing IPv6 discussion (was: /27 the new /24)


From: Stephen Satchell <list () satchell net>
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 2015 06:16:18 -0700

I have been reviewing the proposed submission to the FCC ET Docket No. 15-170, regarding the requirement that vendors of wireless equipment "lock down" updates, and find this quote in that submission particularly apropos to the ongoing IPv6-on-wireless discussion:

"Most Wi-Fi routers, even the newest ones, do not or only barely support IPv6, with poor implementations of IPv6 leading to problems with interoperability"

Quoting this thread, they are, in their submission!

Does it make the assertion that "existing CPE isn't ready for prime time" accurate? That's still open for debate. What is "settled science" is that, after 17 years, we are still learning just how to deal with IPv6's quirks and foibles, just as the community did with IPv4 in the last quarter of the previous century (and continuing into this one). After 17 years, the community at large has a huge hurdle educating the vendors, the providers, and the consumers to the point that everyone (not just a few geeks) has a satisfactory comfort level with the new protocol.

The heat and flame in this thread shows the range of comfort levels. Most of the conflict exposed in this thread concerns the differences in views by providers of general transit, versus providers of "last mile" and enterprise connectivity. The positions taken by the two camps are equally valid FOR THEIR MARKETS.

As one of the participants in the latter market category, I have learned a great deal about IPv6. Moreover, I have been given pointers by people in this forum to sources of additional information, particularly sources that are more up to date. Amazon will be delivering a big box around the 17th.

As for my own network, I have discovered that my upstream, Charter Communications, has put together some support pages for their deployment of IPv6. Once I have the appropriate firewall in place to mirror my IPv4 firewall I can start getting dual-stack IPv4/IPv6 up and going.


Current thread: