The Reg does 240/4

Wed Feb 14 18:05:16 UTC 2024

On 2/14/24 9:30 AM, Owen DeLong via NANOG wrote:
> That experiment already failed with the original v6 adoption process.
> It’s been more than 20 years and all we have proven is that as long as
> people can have an excuse to avoid v6 deployment, they will continue to
> do so.
> 
> Giving them another 20 years of excuses is a step against the collective
>   good IMHO.

I agree with you, based on my experience with several Internet 
providers.  One of the biggest issues I have seen is a lack of a case to 
adopt IPv6 widely and completely.  The management of the upper level 
providers ask this question: what is the return on the investment? 
Until that is convincingly answered, the foot-dragging of IPv6 adoption 
will continue.

In my particular case, it's the complete lack of support by my upstream 
provider.  Yes, they offer IPv6 connectivity.  No, they don't offer 
guaranteed public IPv6 address space.  No, they don't provide the same 
support for IPv6 that they do for IPv4.  I had to pull toenails to get 
enough information to bring up a Web server in IPv6.  It took getting a 
business fiber account to even get the bare minimum -- and I had to get 
a little creative to get the rest of the details that my ISP didn't provide.

What is the big thing missing, beside public IPv6 space?

> $ dig -x 2600:1700:79b0:ddc0::3
> 
> ; <<>> DiG 9.16.1-Ubuntu <<>> -x 2600:1700:79b0:ddc0::3
> ;; global options: +cmd
> ;; Got answer:
> ;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NXDOMAIN, id: 44020
> ;; flags: qr rd ra; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 0, AUTHORITY: 0, ADDITIONAL: 1
> 
> ;; OPT PSEUDOSECTION:
> ; EDNS: version: 0, flags:; udp: 65494
> ;; QUESTION SECTION:
> ;3.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.c.d.d.0.b.9.7.0.0.7.1.0.0.6.2.ip6.arpa. IN PTR

Now, this is my web server's address.  My mail server's proposed IPv6 
address, is only one digit away.  Can I get a PTR record for it?  No. 
Can I get a delegation for my IPv6 address range?  No.  "We don't 
support IPv6."  That has been the refrain since 2018.  It's 2024 -- you 
do the math.

We are talking about a fairly large many-customer three-letter company, 
not some hole in the wall back-room operation.

Could I handle a delegation?  Yes.  Putting up a DNS server is child's 
play.  On a box with a public IP address.  That is not the barrier.

Now, I can't speak for all companies.  For example, I have no clue what 
support and services Hurricane Electric provides to its customers with 
regard to IPv6, even though I've seen many mentions of HE over the decades.

When the community wants to get serious about advancing the deployment 
of IPv6, the community itself needs to buy into IPv6.  At least one big 
player isn't interested.