[arin-ppml] Change of Use and ARIN (was: Re: AFRINIC And The Stability Of The Internet Number Registry System)

[Ted Mittelstaedt]

On 9/12/2021 3:36 PM, Joe Maimon wrote:
>
>
> I have already deployed IPv6, back in 2008 on this very workstation. It
> has done nothing but (occasionally?often?) slow me down or cause some
> other mystifying connectivity issues.
>
> I can count on one hand with leftover fingers the number of times
> non-geek customers, accounts, associates, projects, whatever had the
> slightest interest in spending real money on deploying IPv6. For
> established non provider networks there is no market force and demand
> for its primacy. Its an afterthought at best, some sort of vague
> internet life insurance policy. Its the first thing that gets turned off
> whenever there are issues and the last thing to get fixed.

You say that because for 2 things:

1) You don't understand the idea behind IPv6.  Amazing, since you have 
deployed it, you still don't get it.

2) You don't understand how networks grow.  All network growth follows a 
logarithmic curve.  Nobody should expect IPv6 to follow a linear growth 
curve.

The idea behind IPv6 is that it is SUPPOSED to be steadily integrated 
into the Internet, WITHOUT extra effort.  It's really supposed to be
integrated without even people knowing it.  In fact the Internet really
should deploy without most people even knowing what an IP address IS.

When an end user plugs into the Internet, all they really should do
is be asked a single question - do you have a domain name and what is
it?  IP address assignment should be done automatically and NAME
assignment can probably be done automatically also.

The "layer 1 ISP techs" likewise shouldn't know what an IP address is.
The only people who really should know anything about IP addressing
are the senior ISP techs who are handling BGP routing issues and
the people making static DNS entries and senior techs troubleshooting
email and other connectivity failures.

Most people don't think or likely know much about MAC address 
assignment. IP address assignment should be the same thing for most people.

A system admin complaining about having to deal-stack is someone I
would not want to hire or even have around a network.  That is YOUR JOB
you jerk that is what you are paid to do.  Your users are paying you
to understand IPv6 so they don't have to.  Your responsibility is to
fix it all so they don't have to.  Shut up and do your job you lazy slob.

>
> The only way IPv6 has been gaining is by sneaking in under the radar
> onto eyeballs. Not a whole lot of enterprise dough there. That does not
> make for an optimistic timeline, but its one of the brightest rays of
> hope IPv6 has currently got.
>

No, it isn't "sneaking"  What is happening is it's flowing in gradually
because as smart people in networking identify designs that are 
obstacles to IPv6 deployment they are fixing them.

I can't help that Cisco was azz-backwards when they designed their
cable modem's IPv6 handling.  Comcast can't help that they deployed a
million of these cable modems.  But, what Comcast can do - and what they
DID in fact do - is pitch Cisco by the side of the road and replace
them with Arris who didn't screw up the IPv6 design, when they had a new 
cable modem designed for them.  And gradually they are replacing the
old modems.  Sure there's still a million of those old Cisco or SMC or
whatever modems out there that can't properly handle IPv6 - or have to
have an admin who understands IPv6 go into them and statically configure
things - but eventually those will all be gone.

The idea is to gradually pull the intelligence of IP numbering out of
the hands of the end users and into the hands of the engineers and
techs where it belongs.

Just as you know absolutely nothing, zero, zilch, about installing
a car tire on your car.  Drivers used to - when the Model T was 
introduced drivers were expected to know how to dismount and patch a
tire and remount it.  Motorcycle tires to this day are sold bare
by many shops who either don't have techs who can install them or
don't have the tools for it and riders install them.  And a whole lot
more bicycle tires are sold the same way.  But car tires - not anymore.
The car market has matured and cars are sold to everyone, the bicycle 
and motorcycle market have not.

The Internet is maturing rapidly and with any luck in another generation
nobody that uses it with the exception of a handful of techs will know
what an IP address is - just as nobody that uses Ethernet with the
exception of a handful of techs will know what a MAC address is.

If dealing with IPv6 is too difficult for your brain then I invite you
to join the ranks of users who know nothing about networking and go
make your money being an Instagram influencer or something like that.
I'll make the same offer to any tech who is whining about IPv6.  Your
job is to deal with the complicated stuff that's why you get the big
bucks.  If you don't like it you know where the door is.

Ted