cost of dual-stack vs cost of v6-only [Re: IPv6 on SOHO routers?]

Fri Mar 14 10:00:26 UTC 2008

> I'm told by some folks who run core networks for a living 
> that while the routers may sling IPv6 packets as fast or 
> faster than IPv4, doing  
> so with ACLs, filter lists, statistics, monitoring, etc., is 
> lacking.   
> What's worse, the vendors aren't spinning the ASICs (which 
> I'm told have a 2 to 3 year lead time from design to being 
> shipped) necessary to do everything core routers are expected 
> to do for IPv6 yet.

This may mean that you are better off building an IPv6 overlay
using tunnels over an IPv4 core, or using MPLS with 6PE. These
are the sort of detailed questions that people should be asking
their vendors now. Will you really be able to get the expected
work lifetime out of the boxes that you are buying today?

> I thought parts of the USG were under a mandate to be "IPv6 
> capable" (whatever that means) by this summer.  If there is a 
> mandate to be running IPv6 within the USG by the end of the 
> year, people are going to have to get very, very busy very, 
> very quickly.

Lots of the USG and DOD folks are buying Hexago boxes which
basically means that they are going to talk IPv6 to each other
using tunnels over an IPv4 core network.

--Michael Dillon