SLAAC(autoconfig) vs DHCPv6

Mon Aug 18 19:42:29 UTC 2008

To try to stay operational about this, I have a reality testing question
I've used in IPv4 and, for that matter, bridged networks:

If you want to test a resource, be it the end user or an infrastructure
interface, how do you know how to foo it (foo being some value of ping,
traceroute, look it up in SNMP/NetFlow, etc)?

I submit that if you use dynamic assignment of any sort, you really have to
have DNS dynamic update, so you can use a known name to query the function
that's indexed by address.  Otherwise, static addresses become rather
necessary if you want to check a resource. 

This was especially a question when L2 was "in" and routing was out: how do
you ping a MAC address?

Howard

-----Original Message-----
From: Scott Weeks [mailto:surfer at mauigateway.com] 
Sent: Monday, August 18, 2008 3:34 PM
To: nanog at nanog.org
Subject: SLAAC(autoconfig) vs DHCPv6

---------- trejrco at gmail.com wrote: ------------
From: "TJ" <trejrco at gmail.com>

As a general rule, most clients are following the "If we gave them static
IPv4 addresses we will give them static IPv6 addresses" (infrastructure,
servers, etc).  The whole SLAAC(autoconfig) vs DHCPv6 is a separate (albeit
related) conversation ...
----------------------------------------------------

I'm still an IPv6 wussie and would like to learn more before moving forward,
so would anyone care to share info on experiences with this decision?

scott