And Now for Something Completely Different (was Re: IPv6 news)

Tue Oct 18 05:36:37 UTC 2005

On Mon, 17 Oct 2005, Tony Li wrote:

> True.  Even better, you get to change this binding (mobility) or 
> have multiple bindings (multihoming).

Indeed.

> True enough, but unfortunately, it's not done in a way that we can 
> make use of the identifier in the routing subsystem or in the 
> transport protocols.

Well, if the idea is that the global routing subsystem should not 
have to burdened with the overwhelming details of "who"->"where", 
then this mightn't matter much - all routing needs to know is 
"where".

The transport protocols, well they generally act on behalf of 
something which can do the lookup and supply transport with right 
address, as long the DNS server does not require "who"->"where" 
indirection ;).

The other way of course is to carry "who"->"where" as routes in our 
current routing system. Then we just have to figure out how to 
confine things topologically. Would require changes in how providers 
peer though, but it is possible.

And has been done in other networks, eg GSM in Ireland. We have 
provider-assigned, but provider-mobile prefixes. Just as with IP 
multihoming there was much protest that it couldn't be done, would be 
too problematic, would be too burdensome. However the regulator told 
the operators "I don't care, you have till X to figure it out and 
implement". The operators did figure out, presumably including how to 
do billing for the differentials of any traffic carried for customers 
who had moved to other providers... The rest of the world has no clue 
that a large set of Irish GSM telephone numbers are essentially "/32 
routed" between Irish providers. ;)

A possibility anyway (but whether it's the least worst way - i don't 
know ;) ). It does though keep operators fully involved in all 
aspects of routing.

Otherwise end-hosts will just work around the 'dumb' providers 
themselves, if there's no solution operators like. (Not a bad thing 
either really).

> Tony

regards,
-- 
Paul Jakma	paul at clubi.ie	paul at jakma.org	Key ID: 64A2FF6A
Fortune:
Money isn't everything -- but it's a long way ahead of what comes next.
 		-- Sir Edmond Stockdale