IP: Stop the IPv4 World, I Wanna Get Off

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

Stop the IPv4 World, I Wanna Get Off

The transition from IPv4 to IPv6 on a global scale is a colossal
chore. The task is so extensive, that several major ISP vendors have
asked everyone to hold their horses, at least until a smooth trail
can be blazed.

by Jim Thompson
[April 5, 2002]
<http://isp-planet.com/technology/2002/ipv6_world_waits.html>

The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) wants development on new
IPv6 transition tools stopped-at least for the time being. But this
doesn't mean that the updated addressing protocol has been laid to
rest permanently. IPv6 is still being pushed forward by developers in
Asia and Europe right now. But IPv6 won't receive the same kind of
love and attention from U.S. developers for another year or two.

Controversy and confusion reigned late last month when the IETF
pronounced at their March meeting in Minneapolis that it's time to
bring some sanity to the rampant development of IPv6 transition
tools. Their solution-stop all development of new tools in order to
nurture the move from IPv4 to IPv6.

"We did a hard reset and decided that there will be no new
development until we describe a set of environments that we believe
are common," said Tony Hain, co-chair of the IPv6 Transition Working
Group, otherwise known as Next Generation Transition (ngtrans). "This
will give us the chance to describe the particular tool set that
should be used for a particular environment."

Some developers see the decision as a blow against the open
creativity, a direct slap in the face for progressive developers who
are working on new applications and tools to smooth the transition
period. Hain cautions against jumping to conclusions concerning the
request to take transition tool on a brief hiatus.

"The IETF is not saying that new tools aren't useful and needed, but
that we don't need new things right now. We have to decide the best
use for what we have now, before moving into new areas," noted Hain.

Brief hiatus
The call for a temporary halt in new IPv6 transition tools
development is expected to take only a few months. The process
involves re-evaluating where IPv6 technology is at today, determining
which existing transition tools should be used tomorrow, and
eventually agreeing about what needs to be done to resolve any
lingering technical issues.

The good news is that the protocol has reached the stage where it is
stable enough for this grand transition process to even be
considered. After all, a half-baked protocol transition tool would
simply not stand up to the scrutiny the IETF intends to put it
through. The majority of work over the next few months will focus on
clarifying existing documentation and deciding on the best method to
address known issues.

One of these issues is determining best practices for finding domain
name servers. Using auto discovery mechanisms for addressing means
that Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is not in use.

<snip>

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