|
Within the framework of the LACNIC XI event − held from 26 May to 30 May in the city of Salvador, Brazil −, an experiment was conducted during which the only available connection was exclusively through IPv6 addresses and connectivity.
During the experiment participants were able to connect to a wireless network that only provided dynamic IPv6 addresses and the only possible access was through IPv6 networks towards sites having IPv6 or double-stack (IPv4/IPv6) support.
The aim of the experiment was to provide participants with an opportunity to try out the IPv6 configuration of their computers, applications and remote services, as well as the IPv6 support of the entire access network.
All those present were advised that the proposed scenario was simply an experiment because the two protocols will coexist for a long time and in reality networks should be able to support both.
In addition, on the final day of the event, the entire IPv4 network at the main room area was shut down for a period of one hour. Consequently, those present could only access the Internet via IPv6.
During the first thirty minutes, access was exclusively through IPv6 and the only sites available were those having full IPv6 or double stack support, i.e. a server with an IPv6 address, DNS resolution and IPv6 connectivity.
Finally, during the second half of the hour, a device was made available to translate IPv4 addresses into compatible IPv6 addresses, thus allowing access to sites that did not yet have IPv6 support even though the accessing computers only had IPv6 addresses. This device was equipped with NAT-PT (Network Address Translation - Protocol Translation).
In order to further promote participation, prizes were offered to those who were willing to participate in the one-hour experiment. Prizes were awarded to participants who were able to complete one or more of the assigned tasks. The first of these tasks consisted of accessing the Transition to IPv6 Portal, on which more than 80 hits were registered originating from computers participating in the event. The second task consisted of sending an e-mail using only external SMTP servers with IPv6 support; almost 15 participants were able to complete this task successfully. The final − and also most difficult − task was to establish a VPN exclusively over IPv6, a task in which no “victors” were declared but which served to stimulate a further round of experiments.
The experiment was generally successful, as the programmed objectives − providing the opportunity to try out IPv6 in a more intense manner and verifying how easy it is to configure computers for this use − were achieved. In addition, participants had the chance to verify which applications and services still require adjustment and configuration in order to support this completely new and extremely important Internet protocol.
In numbers, during the hour of exclusive IPv6 access, an average of 120 individuals were connected to the network. During the first thirty minutes, measured Internet traffic averaged 2 Mbps; during the second thirty minutes, period during which a translation device was available, Internet traffic averaged 6 Mbps.
Ricardo Patara
Staff LACNIC
PARTICIPATION DETAILS
Date: May 30, 2008
Venue: Hotel Fiesta Bahia
Organizer: LACNIC
Registration: http://www.lacnic.net/en/eventos/lacnicxi/experimentoIPv6.html
Reference: IPv6 Experiment
PROGRAM
- 9:00 am - IPv6 Experiment Introduction - Ricardo Patara, LACNIC Staff
- 9:05 am - "IPv6 at the University Network in Argentina" - Guillermo Cicileo, RIU
- 9:20 am - “Costa Rica: IPv6 deployment in the country” - Jordi Palet Martínez, Consulintel
- 9:45 am - IPv4/IPv6 coexistance/transition and NAT-PT requirements - Iljitsch van Beijnum
- 10:00 am - IPv6 Task Force of the region - Panel - Arturo Díaz Rosemberg
- 10:30 am -Open Mic - Discussion IPv6 Experiment
|
