[arin-ppml] IPv6 Heretic thoughts

[Dan White]

Owen DeLong wrote:
>
> On Sep 5, 2008, at 3:08 PM, Dan White wrote:
>
>>
>> One doesn't follow the other. It's short sighted to view the network 
>> world in terms of the desktop computer. Specialized devices are a 
>> scenario where IPv6 makes sense. Not all the world's computers need 
>> to have IPv6 connectivity for me to want one.
>>
> Fine... However, for the vast majority of IPv4 instances in use today,
> IPv6 is not a useful or viable alternative and there's no advantage
> to adding IPv6, only cost.
>
> In order to support IPv6 only hosts on desktop computers after
> we run out of IPv4 addresses with which to do so, all the other
> things those desktops need to be able to reach or be reached
> by need IPv6 addresses, or, we have to play interesting games
> with things like NAT-PT and DNS magic.

In my personal point of view, I see these lines of thoughts following 
two general strains. Let me summarize by offering a case that I expect 
to occur in the next couple of years:

Let's suppose that someone at a hosting company decides to offer a 
service that is IPv6 only. Perhaps the host is dual stack or maybe it 
isn't, but the admin of that host decided that it would be best to offer 
a service that is only reachable over IPv6. Perhaps it's a gaming 
service, or a SIP server or something else.

Suppose that one of my customers comes to me and complains that they are 
unable to use this service. They keep getting an error. The reason is 
that they do not have (native) IPv6 service.

Who's at fault in this scenario?

It's easy to say that it's the host admin. Why would he enable IPv6 when 
not everyone can reach it? Doesn't he know he's going to cause a lot of 
support calls for other admins?

The other point of view is that no one is to blame in this scenario 
except me, since I have not given my customers access to IPv6. I didn't 
do the heavy lifting up front or properly prepare for future demand. My 
customer, who really likes that game, is free to find another ISP who 
will give them that access.

IPv6 will not (and has not) deployed as all or nothing, but piecemeal as 
it should. It would be insanity to do otherwise.

- Dan