Re: Are IPv6-only Internet services viable today?

[Owen DeLong <owen () delong com>]

On Jan 15, 2010, at 7:53 PM, Jim Burwell wrote:

> Sorry for late response here...
>
> On 1/14/2010 15:20, Cameron Byrne wrote:
> > On Thu, Jan 14, 2010 at 3:00 PM, Jim Burwell <jimb () jsbc cc> wrote:
> >
> > > On 1/14/2010 11:10, Cameron Byrne wrote:
> > >
> > > > Folks,
> > > >
> > > > My question to the community is:  assuming a network based IPv6 to IP4
> > > > translator is in place (like NAT64 / DNS64), are IPv6-only Internet
> > > > services viable as a product today?  In particular, would it be
> > > > appropriate for a 3G /smartphone or wireless broadband focused on at
> > > > casual (web and email) Internet users?  Keep in mind, these users have
> > > > NAT44 today.
> > > You may also want to read up on Dual Stack Lite (DS-Lite)
> > > <http://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-ietf-softwire-dual-stack-lite-02>,
> > I have looked at DS-lite very carefully.   First, DS-Lite fits better
> > for cable operators since they have CPE and can have a DS-lite
> > function in the CPE that they control, and that in turn allows them to
> > provide IPv4, IPv6, and dual-stack to the end-host that they do not
> > control.  DS-Lite does not fit as well for a mobile phones since it
> > would require a major change to the phone's OS.  Second, DS-Lite
> > requires tunneling as well as translation, so it is one more piece of
> > overhead in addition to NAT64 solution.  For me, i believe it is less
> > complex to manage a single stack IPv6 host with NAT64 translation than
> > a dual stack host, tunneling infrastructure, as well as NAT44 CGN,
> > which is what DS-lite requires.  They both achieve the same result,
> > but I believe in the mobile space there is a quicker time to market as
> > well as more progress toward the end-goal of IPv6-only using NAT64
> > than DS-lite.
> I guess the choice here is between standing up and managing a NAT64 CGN
> + special DNS64 DNS server infrastructure, or a DS-Lite CGN + DS-Lite
> tunneling infrastructure (you'd be able to keep existing "vanilla" DNS
> servers).
As I understand DS-Lite, an IPv6-capable device is a DS-Lite capable device
without any modification.  The DS-Lite Gateway does all the heavy lifting
to provide IPv4 services and do the NAT64 translation between the IPv6-only
end-user device (phone) and the IPv4 internet.

Owen