IPv6 Best Current Practices

Establishing a practical and scalable plan for deploying IPv6 addressing on an operational network is an important part of any IPv6 deployment. Advice on address planning is one of the most commonly asked questions at APNIC. An IPv6 address is 128 bits long – four times longer than the 32-bit IPv4 addresses. Address planning for such a large space might seem counter-intuitive for many network operators. What are the best current practices for IPv6 addressing for scalable and manageable network operations?

We have seen many transition technologies available with varying types of mechanisms and required network equipment. Namely, 4in6, 6in4, DS-Lite, 6RD, 6to4, ISATAP, NAT64, Teredo, NAT-PT, and the most recently developed technology is MAP. Through their respective revision processes, we can see some of these are more widely used, some have converged, and some have become obsolete.

While the field of IPv6 transition technology is still evolving, operators need to carefully consider which mechanism is most suitable to their networks. Native IPv6 is preferred, but many operators will need to deploy in steps, by using one or more transition mechanisms, to align with long-term network planning. To help you stay up to date with what's available, here is some information shared by network operators and vendors.

This group of Internet stakeholders needs to focus on how to enable IPv6 access to their content, and the implications of IPv6 deployment for their Internet connectivity, web servers, load balancers, and firewalls. It's also necessary to consider other modifications as required including backbone databases, setting an IPv6 log file, and geolocation database.

The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) provides guidelines, or Internet-Drafts documents. The drafts are working documents, valid for a maximum of six months, and they may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any time. Please be aware of the limited effect of Internet-Drafts.

Enterprises need to focus on their IT infrastructure, in terms of enabling IPv6 in their WiFi, Ethernet, LAN, and WAN. They also need to enable Dual Stack for devices such as laptops, printers, PCs, and file servers. Another aspect to consider is how to replicate IPv6 addressing infrastructure with IPv6 address management, firewalls, and security.

The IETF provides guidelines, or Internet-Drafts documents. The drafts are working documents, valid for a maximum of six months, and they may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any time. Please be aware of the limited effect of Internet-Drafts.