Creating demand for IPv6

Wed Oct 3 15:20:53 UTC 2007

On 10/3/07, michael.dillon at bt.com <michael.dillon at bt.com> wrote:
> > However, if there was a reasonable translation mechanism
> > available which allowed IPv6-only end systems to access
> > IPv4-only content, I think the picture would look quite
> > different.
>
> Doesn't deploying a 6to4 relay in the content provider network, along
> with IPv6 access to the content provider network, exactly meet this
> requirement?

Michael,

Not in any way, shape or form, no.

6to4 allows folks whose upstream provider is IPv4 only to connect
their IPv6 hosts to other IPv6 hosts via IPv6. It does exactly that
and nothing else.

If you run a web site and only have IPv6 access via 6to4, you SHOULD
NOT publish a AAAA record. 6to4 has very few gateways and they get
clogged at various times of the day. If you publish a AAAA record,
every user who has IPv6 will first try to connect to you via IPv6 and
experience a -long- delay.

> > Perhaps the assignment of IPv4 addresses to end users could
> > become a premium service available to those who need them,
> > leaving cheaper, IPv6-only service for everybody else.
>
> I'm quite sure that this WILL happen within a year or so. Lots of ISPs
> have already gotten their IPv6 through the trial phase and already offer
> IPv6 access service, or are about to offer it.

If you care to wager, I'll take some of that action. Without a
relatively transparent mechanism for IPv6-only hosts to access
IPv4-only sites this isn't going to happen. We don't have such a
mechanism built and won't have it deployed in 12 months.

Regards,
Bill Herrin

-- 
William D. Herrin                  herrin at dirtside.com  bill at herrin.us
3005 Crane Dr.                        Web: <http://bill.herrin.us/>
Falls Church, VA 22042-3004