Transcript Not a product, so how do we do anything?

Building an IPv6 Test Network
Sean Mentzer
IP Architecture
[email protected]
Topics
• Purpose/Goals
• Constraints
• Design
• Resources
• Current IPv6 network
• Addresses
• Issues
• Looking Forward
Sean Mentzer
IP Architecture
[email protected]
Purpose/Goals
• Gain experience for our engineers in v6 concepts and network
configurations.
• Create a semi-production network to test new v6 capable
hardware/software.
• Preempt customer demand
• Get on fast track for deployment, hopefully to be able to use v6
service as a competitive edge.
Sean Mentzer
IP Architecture
[email protected]
Constraints
• Not a product, so how do we do anything?
• Without an official project, it is hard to get any money for what
is seen as an “engineering pet project”
• First customers will be beta/non-paying, so intitially none of
this will generate any revenue.
• Time spent by engineers is mostly in between all the official
projects assigned.
• Make sure ‘service’ is not sold before there is a support
structure in place, both in engineering and operations.
Sean Mentzer
IP Architecture
[email protected]
Design
• Deployment
• Get a router in as many POPs as possible.
• Wide Area Connections
• Use native links where possible, tunnel otherwise.
•Customer connectivity
• Existing v4 customers could tunnel to the nearest v6 enabled
router.
• Connectivity with current v4 network
• Use whatever we can. Currently this means either FastE or
POS OC3.
Sean Mentzer
IP Architecture
[email protected]
Resources
• Routers
• Customer access Cisco 7507s are being decomissioned. Keep
one in each site as initial v6 router.
• Same situation will soon occur with many Cisco 12008 routers.
These will replace 7507 where available.
•WAN
• The three OC3s of Qwest’s initial buildout from two years ago
were decomissioned a while ago, but never turned off. These
form the core of the initial v6 buildout.
• Servers
• We scrounged up a number of Intel boxes that could run
Linux/FreeBSD and a couple Sun boxes for Solaris.
Sean Mentzer
IP Architecture
[email protected]
Current IPv6 Network
Sean Mentzer
IP Architecture
[email protected]
Addresses
• Started with pNLA assigned by Abilene, who provides our 6bone
connectivity.
• Applied for production sTLA with ARIN, which was just approved
a couple days ago. We are now just waiting for our check to clear to
receive the allocation.
•Address architecture
• We are still trying to learn the best way to allocate addresses for
our own internal network.
Sean Mentzer
IP Architecture
[email protected]
Router Issues
• Software
• Lack of v6 code
• Not all backbone router vendors have IPv6 code, limiting
choices.
• Even those with code are still missing features, such as IGPs
other than RIP.
•Router is “IPv6 ready”, but software is not.
• Claims that there is not enough customer demand to make
IPv6 a priority.
• Code that is currently available is not necessarily as fast or as
stable as current v4 code.
Sean Mentzer
IP Architecture
[email protected]
Looking Forward
1.
Increase Network Size
•
Get a v6 router per POP, add more native circuits.
2. Migrate to production
3.
•
Start adding beta customers and peers to get experience
running a v6 network.
•
Eventually create a product.
Integrate with production v4 network
•
Stable code required, along with high performance code.
•
Work with multiple vendors to ensure interoperability.
•
One network for both v4 and v6 is the goal.
Sean Mentzer
IP Architecture
[email protected]