# Presentation: 076835

## IPv6:  Background Information and Issues 

- P.O. Box 12194  ·  3040 Cornwallis Road  ·  Research Triangle Park, NC  27709Phone: 919-485-2626  ·  Fax: 919-541-6683  ·   www.rti.org
- RTI International is a trade name of Research Triangle Institute.

*Presented at*IPv6 Public MeetingWashington, DCJuly 28, 2004
*Presented by **	*Dr. Michael Gallaher

## Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6)

- IPv6 was developed in the mid-1990s to replace IPv4, the common standard used today
- Primary objectives were to
- Increase address space - *128 bits instead of 32 bits*
- Improve efficiency - *Simplified header structure*
- Enhance capabilities - *Flow label and priority differentiation added*

## Observed Global Trends

- Very few (500) IPv6 address blocks have been assigned worldwide (around 75 in the U.S.)
- Internationally
- Japanese, Chinese, and European governments have appropriated public funds to help incentivize adoption of IPv6
- Manufacturers are installing IPv6 capabilities into many consumer and networking products

## Commerce Task Force Examination of IPv6

- President’s *National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace*
- “[F]orm a task force to examine the issues related to IPv6, including the appropriate role of government, international interoperability, security in transition, and costs and benefits.  The task force will solicit input from potentially impacted industry segments.”
- Extensive information gathering
- Request for Comments
- Meetings with stakeholders
- Literature review/Industry interviews by RTI

## Benefits of IPv6

- Commonly-cited Benefits
- Additional IP addresses
- Simplified mobility
- Reduced network administration costs
- Increased security options
- Improved network efficiency
- Improved quality of service (QoS)
*Are there others?*
*Are some potential benefits more likely/feasible than others? *

## Potential Uses for Additional IP Addresses

**Every device can have a unique IP address**

**Devices can be configured through the Internet**

## Simplified and Enhanced Mobility

-   IPv6 could help    simplify mobility
-   IPv6 could enable (or accelerate) new or expanded products and services
-   *Can IPv4 provide similar capabilities?  At what cost?*

- Calls or Internet connections will not be interrupted while commuting

## Benefits and Costs of Middleware

- Examples include:  Network Address Translators (NATs) and firewalls
- Potential Benefits
- Provide some measure of anonymity
- Enable increased address space
- Provide additional security point/filter
- Potential Costs
- Break end-to-end applications and necessitate extensive workarounds
- Add complexity to networks

## Market Penetration Factors

- To date, IPv6 has not achieved significant market penetration
- Whether, when and how IPv6 may be deployed hinges on critical issues including
- Emergence of “killer” applications
- Security concerns (pro and con)
- International competitiveness
- Government’s role in deployment

## Security

- Potential *short-term vulnerabilities*
- Additional network administration costs
- The need to protect two networks simultaneously
- The learning curve required in early stage of IPv6 deployment
- Potential *long-term benefits*
**Uncertainties include the future use of middleware and their implication for security benefits of IPv6**

## Transitioning to IPv6

- Likely Deployment Strategies
- Many IPv6 capabilities could be added as part of routine upgrades
- Transition will likely be gradual – several mechanisms will allow IPv4 and IPv6 to communicate during transition
- Likely Implementation Costs
- Hardware, software, labor, and indirect costs (i.e., productivity losses)
- Labor costs may dominate

## Interoperability

- Experts agree that testing is needed to ensure interoperability
- Interoperability among *different* *manufacturers’* IPv6 hardware/software
- Interoperability between and among IPv6 and IPv4 *networks*
- Examples of ongoing activities include the NAv6TF-led Moonv6 test bed

## Timing of Deployment and U.S. Competitiveness

- Will sustainable “first-mover” advantages exist?
- Implications for U.S. hardware and software vendors
- Implications for U.S. corporate and industrial Users
- International interoperability concerns
- Cost of early (accelerated) deployment

## Are there Barriers to Deployment?

- No significant market barriers identified
- Monopoly power not seen as an issue
- Social benefits exceed private returns
- Inability to capture the full return on investments
- Potential Implications are
- Underinvestment in standards, protocols and conformance
- Chicken-or-egg dilemma

## What is the Proper Role for Government?

- Types of involvement:
- Government as a consumer
- Government support for R&D
- Technology to support infrastructure – standards and protocol development
- Application development – test beds, interoperability and conformance testing
- Information dissemination
- Others?