Sub-optimal routing to Google via IPv6

Fri Feb 27 02:08:54 UTC 2015

I have noticed that since we deployed IPv6 a number of years ago, that our
IPv6 routes to Google's V6-enabled sites (e.g. www.google.com and
www.youtube.com) traverse the CONUS from Oakland (where our primary Level 3
ISP connection is) to Washington D.C., New York, and then onto Google's
network in New York, where the packets presumably pass across Google's
internal networks.

                                       My traceroute  [v0.71]

hivemind (::)
Thu Feb 26 18:03:44 2015

Keys:  Help   Display mode   Restart statistics   Order of fields   quit

                                                                  Packets
            Pings

 Host                                                           Loss%  Last
  Avg  Best  Wrst StDev

 1. 2620:79:0:xxxx::ff7d                                         0.0%   0.4
  0.4   0.4   0.4   0.0

 2. 2620:79:0:xxxx::fd                                           0.0%   0.4
  0.4   0.4   0.4   0.0

 3. 2620:79:0:xxxx::249                                          0.0%   1.7
  1.7   1.7   1.7   0.0

 4. ge-6-24.car1.Oakland1.Level3.net                             0.0% 316.3
316.3 316.3 316.3   0.0

 5. vl-4043.edge1.SanJose1.Level3.net                            0.0%   3.0
  3.0   3.0   3.0   0.0

 6. vl-4045.edge5.LosAngeles.Level3.net                          0.0%   9.3
  9.3   9.3   9.3   0.0

 7. vl-4081.edge6.LosAngeles1.Level3.net                         0.0%   9.2
  9.2   9.2   9.2   0.0

 8. vl-4041.edge1.Washington1.Level3.net                         0.0% 116.5
116.5 116.5 116.5   0.0

 9. vl-4080.edge2.Washington1.Level3.net                         0.0%
75.0  75.0  75.0  75.0   0.0

10. vl-4068.edge2.Washington12.Level3.net                        0.0%
75.5  75.5  75.5  75.5   0.0

11. vl-4047.car1.NewYork1.Level3.net                             0.0%
76.5  76.5  76.5  76.5   0.0

12. vl-60.ear2.NewYork1.Level3.net                               0.0% 110.2
110.2 110.2 110.2   0.0

13. Google-level3-30GB.NewYork1.Level3.net                       0.0%
75.6  75.6  75.6  75.6   0.0

14. 2001:4860::1:0:3be                                           0.0%
76.1  76.1  76.1  76.1   0.0

15. 2001:4860::8:0:4397                                          0.0%
75.9  75.9  75.9  75.9   0.0

16. 2001:4860::8:0:5901                                          0.0%
73.5  73.5  73.5  73.5   0.0

17. 2001:4860::8:0:7894                                          0.0%
85.9  85.9  85.9  85.9   0.0

18. 2001:4860::8:0:79e5                                          0.0%
92.9  92.9  92.9  92.9   0.0

19. 2001:4860::8:0:6117                                          0.0%
73.5  73.5  73.5  73.5   0.0

20. 2001:4860::1:0:7ea                                           0.0%
71.9  71.9  71.9  71.9   0.0

21. 2001:4860:0:1::691                                           0.0%
72.1  72.1  72.1  72.1   0.0

22. ???

I haven't raised this issue with Level(3) yet, as I was wondering if this
is really a Level(3) routing issue or a Google IPv6 routing issue?

Thank for any insights.

Regards,
David Sotnick
--
Pixar
Emeryville, CA