Consulintel received from RIPE NCC the Experimental Prefix 2001:07F9::/32

The prefix was originally requested for several IPv6 experiments and non-commercial R&D activities, mainly under the scope of the Euro6IX project.

Even if this project has already been completed, some of the experiments are being continued and new ones initiates.

The prefix is being used in number non-commercial/non-profit research and development experiments, demonstrations and dissemination/awareness activities, with the overall goal of helping on the adoption of IPv6. The outcomes of these experiments/activities are very frequently being provided/reported to organizations such as European IST projects/participants, IETF, ISOC, RIRs (AfriNIC, APNIC, ARIN, LACNIC, RIPE NCC), Network Operators' Groups (AFNOG, APRICOT, NANOG), NRENs, Universities, etc.

Some of those activities may behave disruptively at some moment, so a non-production prefix is required. However, the prefix is announced in a stable and aggregated way to the routing table in order to be able to do worldwide distributed experiments.

• Consulintel collaborates with Neo-Sky in order to run an IPv6 experiment and future deployment efforts. The experiment will demonstrate the feasibility of running IPv6 in a LMDS network, studying the possible issues.


• Within the scope of 6POWER, we look to integrate and evaluate the IPv6 protocols and advanced services over Power Line Communications Technologies. Also the design, procurement and deployment of 6POWER networks and the interconnection with major IPv6 test beds, based on other technologies.

• The called "auto-transition" algorithm ensures that any device can obtain IPv6 connectivity at any time and whatever network is attached to, even if such network is connected to Internet only with IPv4 or already offers IPv6 but with poor performance. The experiments look to evaluate the auto-transition mechanism, possible issues and the requirements towards a future documented solution.


• Tunneling is commonly used by several IPv6 transition mechanisms. To be able to automate setting up tunnels, one critical component is a solution to automatically discover the tunnel end-point (TEP) for the transition mechanism. Our experiments look to propose a solution for discovering the IPv6 TEP in a simple an efficient way.


• Zero-Configuration Tunneling denotes a minimalist IPv6-in-IPv4 automatic tunneling mechanism that could be used by a Service Provider to offer IPv6 connectivity to its customers in early phases of IPv4 to IPv6 transition. Our experiments look to describes and evaluate the set of goals to be fulfilled by a Zero-Configuration Tunneling protocol working in networks such as Unmanaged, 3GPP and so on.


• Some IPv4-only NAT boxes/routers allow the establishment of IPv6 tunnels from systems in the private LAN (using private IPv4 addresses) to routers or tunnel servers in the public Internet. Not all the IPv4-only NAT boxes/routers support this mechanism, but our experiments look to evaluate and describes this behavior and consequently provides hints that should be applied in the IPv4-only NAT boxes and tunnel brokers to facilitate it.

• Internet Exchanges (IX) have played a key role in the development of Internet, organizing and coordinating the traffic interchange among Internet Service Providers (ISP). Traditionally, IXs have been based on layer 2 infrastructures, being the layer 3 services managed by the participant ISPs. However, IPv6 hierarchical and aggregatable routing and addressing model comes to enhance the IX functionalities by proposing to directly assign addresses to IX customer's networks. The customers can connect with one or several upstream providers and have a separated addressing space, dependent on the IX instead of the providers, in order to facilitate multihoming or avoid renumbering procedures when changing the provider. Part of our experiments, within the framework of Euro6IX, look to find an architectural model for an advanced IPv6 Internet Exchange that offers IPv6 address delegation services, as well as other advanced network and application services. Also is looked how these services can be offered from an IX and their associated requirements.

• Multicast is another key tool within IPv6. The M6BONE project, led by Renater, is the IPv6 Multicast worldwide network deployed to tests IPv6 Multicast implementations and applications. Consulintel was connected in a first stage directly to Renater and later thru Euro6IX network. Our experiments, within the scope of Euro6IX, look to research en the deployment of Multicast support in the 6IX, study, deploy and try Interdomain IPv6 Multicast. Regarding application, will experiment the provision of enabled Multicast services such as VoD, Music/Video Streaming, HDTV.

• Nowadays each network is often secured by a unique device (i.e. security gateway or firewall) that becomes a bottleneck for the end-to-end security model with IPv6. The deployment of IPv6 enabled devices and networks bring some issues, which must be addressed by security administrators in order to guarantee at least the same level of security that is obtained nowadays with IPv4 and network-based (including perimeter-based) security schemes, allowing at the same time all the IPv6 advantages. Our experiments look to document, define and evaluate two security paradigms, the network-based and the host-based. After that, our experiments will be enhanced toward the issues related to distributed and dynamic security approach.

• The deployment of QoS in both IPv4 and IPv6 networks is becoming a usual practice that network operators carry out in order to make more efficient all the investment needed for the network deployment. Furthermore, more and more common user applications make that the users demand a specific QoS, which requires the sign of a SLA with a network operators. IPv6 has been developed with QoS support by means of Traffic Class and Flow Label fields. Our experiments, within Euro6IX Project, look to research the possibilities for a QoS deployment using both IPv6 QoS fields, to investigate the possibilities of IX's that support IPv6 QoS, to evaluate the conformance of SLAs for real-time applications, and so on.


• Another important work area within IPv6 is on research and development of measurement technologies for Quality of Service in IPv6 networks. There was identified the necessity of a comprehensive system integrating the various required functions for QoS measurement, such as packet capturing, precise time-stamping, data collection, QoS metrics derivation (delay, loss, jitter etc.) and result presentation. Our experiments, within 6QM Project, look to define the IPv6 QoS measurement requirements, then to work in the implementation and evaluation of the developed measurement system.

• Remote network monitoring devices, often called monitors or probes, are instruments that exist for the purpose of managing a network. Often these remote probes are stand-alone devices and devote significant internal resources for the sole purpose of managing a network. Remote Monitoring (RMON) is a standard monitoring specification that enables various network monitors and console systems to exchange network-monitoring data. Within the Internet-Standard Management Framework the managed objects are accessed via a virtual information store, termed the Management Information Base (MIB). MIB objects are generally accessed through the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). Our experiments look to research and define additional (to those in RFC 2896) protocol identifier macros for IPv6. Special focus will be done on IPv6 and MPLS identifiers.

• Multihoming is one of the key pieces for the deployment of IPv6 in the enterprise scenario, but is becoming a frequent requirement in all kinds of networks. In addition, other factors including the deployment of broadband networks, the increase in the variety of access technologies, the increase in the demand for resilience/redundancy, etc., in non-enterprise environments, for example in SOHO/home, necessarily imply the increase of IPv6 multihoming demand for a number of scenarios. Our experiments look to document and analyze the main multihoming scenarios.

• The IETF Site Multihoming by IPv6 Intermediation (shim6) deals with the specification for an IPv6-based site multi-homing solution that inserts a new sub-layer (shim) into the IP stack of end-system hosts. Our experiments will try the shim6 implementations, as soon it will become available.

• At the highest level, the IETF softwire WG is tasked to identify, and extend where necessary, standard protocols to support a selected set of IPv4 in IPv6 and IPv6 in IPv4 transition problems. Our experiments will help on the further definition of Softwire problem statement and solutions. Those will enhance a procedure that enables a host or router to automatically setup an IPvX in IPvY tunnel. Here we will further study the very basic requirement where the host or router is a dual stack node and it will have either native IPv4-only access (dominant IPv4 network) or native IPv6-only access (dominant IPv6 network). Consequently, either IPv6 will be transported in the existing IPv4-only infrastructure, or IPv4 will be transported in the existing IPv6-only infrastructure. Other combinations are possible, such as IPv6 in IPv6 (for example to support IPv6 multicast in an IPv6-unicast-only infrastructure).

• The Teredo transition mechanism is defined in RFC4380 and it aims to provide IPv6 connectivity to users located behind a NAT box and to research the issues of the global deployment. There are still some issues regarding the deployment of Teredo, which have been discovered during the previous phase of our transition experiments and need to be continued. Our new experiments will continue the test and application of the Teredo prefix 2001:0000:/32, since the former prefix 3ffe:831f::/32 was voided because of the 6BONE phase out in 06/06/2006. Furthermore our experiments will continue the provision of an experimental Teredo relay to those user interested in the IPv6 connectivity by this mean until native IPv6 connectivity will be available. Also we will conduct further experiments with new Teredo implementations (in special Miredo).

• The idea is also to experiment the IPv6 deployment in new access technologies, such as WiMax, as soon they are available, in the next few months.

Up

2005

Support for distributed experiments, demonstrations, connectivity and so on for different labs integrated in several projects

- IST 6POWER

- IST 6QM

- IST Euro6IX

- PROFIT 6SOS

- Eureka Medea+ PlaNetS

Research and validation experiments for different IETF I-Ds

- Auto-Transition

- Evaluation of v6ops Auto-discovery for Tunneling Mechanisms (draft-palet-v6ops-tun-auto-disc-03.txt)

- Broadband Access Networks

- ISP IPv6 Deployment Scenarios in Broadband Access Networks (draft-ietf-v6ops-bb-deployment-scenarios-04.txt)

- Enterprise Analysis and Scenarios

- IPv6 Enterprise Networks Analysis (draft-ietf-v6ops-ent-analysis-01.txt)

- IPv6 Enterprise Networks Scenarios (draft-ietf-v6ops-ent-scenarios-05.txt)

- IPv6 tunneling/encapsulation terminology

- 6in4 versus 6over4 terminology (draft-palet-v6ops-6in4-vs-6over4-01.txt)

- ISP Analysis and Scenarios

- RFC4029: Scenarios and Analysis for Introducing IPv6 into ISP Networks

- Security

- Distributed Security Framework (draft-vives-v6ops-distributed-security-framework-00.txt)

- IPv6 Security Problem Statement (draft-vives-v6ops-ipv6-security-ps-03.txt)

- IPv6 distributed security requirements (draft-palet-v6ops-ipv6security-02.txt)

- Softwires

- Softwire Problem Statement (draft-ietf-softwire-problem-statement-00.txt)

- Tunneling Configuration

- Goals for Tunneling Configuration (draft-palet-v6tc-goals-tunneling-00.txt)

- Other Contributions

- RFC4038 Application Aspects of IPv6 Transition

Dissemination and awareness on IPv6 and Internet public policies

- LACNIC IPv6 Tour

Experimental HD Broadcasting

- Annular Solar Eclipse

Demonstrations support and unicast and multicast connectivity

- Barcelona 2005 Global IPv6 Summit

- Tercer Foro Latinoamericano de IPv6 (Flip-6)

Research and development of Tutorial's contents and distributed demonstrations, providing tunnels for the participants when required

- Number Hands-on Tutorials for RIRs:

- APNIC 20

- ARIN XVI

- LACNIC VIII

- AFRINIC

IPv6 Information

- The IPv6 Portal http://www.ipv6tf.org: Comprehensive One-stop information IPv6 site with news and links to related activities. The IPv6 news section is the main site in the world gathering and showing IPv6 news.

Free IPv6 Publications

- IPv6 and Broadband

- Legal Aspects of the New Internet Protocol

IPv6 Connectivity

- Support the IPv6 experimentations by means a Tunnel Broker to those interested in a first approach into IPv6.

2006

Support for distributed experiments, demonstrations, connectivity and so on for different labs integrated in several projects

- IST ENABLE

- IST RiNG Project (Web under development)

- Eureka Medea+ PlaNetS

Research and validation experiments for different IETF I-Ds

- Operation

- Guidelines for Numbering IPv6 Point-to-Point Links and Easing the Addressing Plans (draft-palet-v6ops-point2point-01.txt)

- Softwires

- Automatic Tunneling Setup for/with IPv6 (draft-palet-softwires-ats6-01.txt)

Research and development of Tutorial's contents and distributed demonstrations, providing tunnels for the participants when required

- Number Hands-on Tutorials for RIRs:

- ARIN XVII

- RIPE 52

- AFRINIC

Dissemination and awareness on IPv6 and Internet public policies

- 2nd phase LACNIC IPv6 Tour (Web under development)

Support to phase-out of the IPv6 experimental network - 6Bone

- IPv6 Day http://www.ipv6day.org

Support on the process to advance the core IPv6 specifications to the last step in the IETF standardization process (e.g. Standard)

- IETF IPv6 to Standard http://www.ipv6-to-standard.org

Support to enabling IPv6 on IETF servers

- IETF IPv6 FTP, Mail and Web services

IPv6 Information

- The IPv6 Portal http://www.ipv6tf.org: Comprehensive One-stop information IPv6 site with news and links to related activities.

IPv6 Connectivity

- Support the IPv6 experimentations by means a Tunnel Broker to those interested in a first approach into IPv6.

2007 (planned)

Support for distributed experiments, demonstrations, connectivity and so on for different labs integrated in several projects

- IST ENABLE Project http://www.ist-enable.org

- IST RiNG Project (Web under development)

- Eureka Medea+ PlaNetS

Research and validation experiments for different IETF I-Ds and RFCs across different WGs and Areas

- Softwires

- Multihoming (Shim6)

- Operation

- Transition (Auto Transition, Teredo and others)

- Security

- Routing

Research and development of Tutorial's contents and distributed demonstrations, providing tunnels for the participants when required

- Number Hands-on Tutorials for RIRs being prepared

IPv6 Information

- The IPv6 Portal http://www.ipv6tf.org: Comprehensive One-stop information IPv6 site with news and links to related activities.

IPv6 Connectivity

- Support the IPv6 experimentations by means a Tunnel Broker to those interested in a first approach into IPv6.

Moving to production of some of the services, yet non-for-profit