[ppml] IPv6 flawed?

[Michel Py]

Hi Paul,

>> Michel Py wrote:
>> - It never delivered initial promises, such as aggregation (the
>> "8K DFZ"). In their great wisdom, the IETF pushed the protocol
>> out with the promise that they will deliver the missing features
>> (such as multihoming and effortless renumbering) later.

> Paul Vixie wrote:
> agreed.

>> Problem, nobody figured it out.

> disagreed.  see A6, DNAME, bitstring labels, and 8+8.

I won't comment on A6, DNAME or bitstring labels but I have something to
say about 8+8/GSE: Long after it was shot down in flames, I came up with
a protocol named MHAP (I'm sure Iljitsch would remember) that was not
inpired by GSE but had similarities (being an ID/LOC). Anyway, after a
while I realized that it did not really address the issue. It added
complexity, and it shifted the political/economical/legal issues into
another unknown alternate reality.

Bottom line is: there is currently no substitute for IPv6 PI. The real
world would probably go for IPv6 NAT instead, but the IETF is
deadlocked; instead of choosing between the lesser and two evils and
sacrifice one of the "features", they want to have the cake and eat it
too.

We could have had IPv6 without PI or IPv6 without NAT but not without
both. As of today, we have don't have jack.



> with respect to the oft-quoted axiom that if pigs had wings they
> could fly, i remember telling a lot of people (who reported to me
> inside an ISP) in Y2K or so is that "the rocket boosters have been
> attached to the pig called IPv6". what i meant by this is anybody's
> guess, really, but i think i was trying to say that even though it
> was useless and solved the wrong problem, it was also inevitable.

Well, pigs don't necessarily need wings or rockets to fly. I remember
the Pink Floyd inflatable pig.... it did fly.

Besides the initial lift from never-delivered politician promises, it
seems to me like IPv6 has raised due to some hot air as well, such as
"if the DoD mandates it, it will be adopted" (looking back at ADA and
GOSIP that is an assured failure looming ;-)

The jury is still out on the "inevitable" part though. And we won't know
for sure until 2 years after IPv4 becomes unavailable. 

Michel.