[arin-ppml] Effect of ARIN's Letters

[Roger Marquis]

Fred Baker wrote:
> On May 1, 2009, at 12:10 PM, Ted Mittelstaedt wrote:
>> The issue is forcing people who have no connectivity at all
>> and who want to get it, to take IPv6 instead of IPv4.
>
> Far more importantly in the near term, to take IPv6 as well as IPv4,
> and if they have IPv4, to add IPv6. The point will come a few years
> from now when IPv6-only stares us in the face, but right now it's
> about being ready when that day comes. As some have said on this list,
> making the mistakes now instead of then, sorting out address plans now
> instead of then, and having content online for those folks to view.

Has anyone made a Gantt chart of ways a transition to IPv6 would work?  I'd
love to see it, especially if it doesn't contain the one pre-requisite
which, IMO, appears inevitable: 100% reachability.

While a small number of nodes will be able to live with a single protocol,
and limited access during a prolonged transition, the rest of us will need
to be able to reach hosts which speak either protocol.  So a critical path
(project management speak) would be predicated on 100% reachability.

If you agree with this hypothetical CP there are at least three paths:

   A) NAT everywhere.  IPv4 clients and servers will need an IPv6 gateway
   and IPv6 clients and servers will need an IPv4 gateway, or

   B) dual-stack everywhere.  Not really everywhere but on all servers and
   clients,

   C) NAT everywhere that's not dual-stack.

The key here is everywhere, 100% reachability, i.e.,

   D) EVERY CLIENT and EVERY SERVER

At least this is how it appears in my imaginary project plan.  If there's
another way to do this, or something I've missed, please do follow-up.

As the IETF appears to be dropping the ball with regards to a NAT standards
(for the usual reasons, mainly incumbents hoping to turn a profit on the
"shortage") smaller ISPs will likely end up having to do most of the work
by implementing dual-stack where possible and nonstandard NAT everywhere
else.  To that end is there a centralized FAQ:

  A) listing netgear that supports v4-v6 NAT today,

  B) Windows, Mac, Linux, Unix dual-stack HowTos,

  C) a DNS with IPv6 NAT HowTo, and

  D) list of providers who are already routing IPv6 AND assigning IPv6
  addresses along with all IPv4 addresses?

Roger Marquis