nanog mailing list archives

Re: v6 & DSL / Cable modems [was: Private use of non-RFC1918 IP space (IPv6-MW)]


From: Mark Andrews <Mark_Andrews () isc org>
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2009 10:07:39 +1100


In message <op.uo5nvrmrtfhldh () rbeam xactional com>, "Ricky Beam" writes:
On Mon, 09 Feb 2009 21:11:50 -0500, TJ <trejrco () gmail com> wrote:
Your routers fail frequently?  And does your traffic continue to get
forwarded?  Perhaps through another router?

More frequently than the DHCP server, but neither are "frequent" events.   
Cisco's software is not 100% perfect, and when you plug it into moderately  
unstable things like phone lines (DSL) and cable networks, those little  
bugs cause reloads -- you'd think they'd have better error handling, but  
they don't. (I don't buy millions in equipment from Cisco so they don't  
care about my problems.)  While I could use backup links, flip-floping  
between ISPs with different addresses is not ideal (and that's as true for  
v6 as v4.)

Why is there a problem with RAs being the first step, possibly including
prefix info or possibly just hinting @ DHCPv6?

Because it doesn't fit the needs of *every* network.  In fact, it's only  
"good enough" for very few networks.  As such it just adds more useless  
layers of bloat.

        Good. You admit it fits the needs of some networks.
 
Well, as it stands now the RA isn't useless.
...
Also, it is not true in every case that hosts need a "lot more" than an
address.
In many cases all my machine needs is an address, default gateway and DNS
server (cheat off of v4 | RFC5006 | Stateless DHCPv6).

It's useless.  It does NOT provide enough information alone for a host to  
function.

        Hogwash.  The only thing needed for I used from DHCP on my
        laptop is router, address and netmask.  I actually discard
        anything else that is offered.  RA's meet my needs perfectly
        fine.  In fact they do a better job than DHCP for my needs.

        I don't trust dns servers returned by dhcp.  Lots of them
        don't offer the level of functionality I require.  I run
        my own recursive resolver to get the level of functionality
        I require.

In your own words, you need a DNS server.  That is NOT provided  
by RA thus requires yet another system to get that bit of configuration to  
the host -- either entered manually, DHCPv6, or from IPv4 network  
configuration (ie. DHCP!)  Forcing this BS on the world is a colossal  
waste.  We've had a system to provide *ALL* the information a host needs  
or wants in the IPv4 world for years.  Why it's not good enough for IPv6  
is beyond me.

--Ricky

-- 
Mark Andrews, ISC
1 Seymour St., Dundas Valley, NSW 2117, Australia
PHONE: +61 2 9871 4742                 INTERNET: Mark_Andrews () isc org


Current thread: