Transition to IPv6 in the USA, by Walter Ramos

Introduction

The Internet Protocol (IP) is the network protocol on which today’s Internet is based. This protocol allows a variety of different networks, computers, and other devices to communicate among themselves using a common format. Today, the Internet Protocol (IP) has matured and established itself as the main vehicle for e-commerce and many other applications.

The current Internet Protocol, IPv4, has been in use for over 20 years and will likely continue to be in service for many years to come. However, the continuous growth of the global Internet requires the evolution of its architecture to accommodate the new tendencies in terms of user applications and new technologies. An important reason for transitioning to IPv6 is the need for additional IP addresses. This, at first a much debated and very controversial issue, has now become one of the main reasons behind the transition to IPv6. IPv4 address space is nearing exhaustion.

There is a strong argument that those countries or regions with an early adoption of IPv6 will obtain economic advantages. Therefore, for the United States, the main motivator is to make sure that the American network management environment remains competitive within the international community. Some countries, notably Japan and the Republic of China, are rapidly deploying IPv6 networks. In order to be able to maintain its international technological parity, the United States must migrate to IPv6.

Beyond the federal mandate, the motivation to deploy IPv6 lies in that an IPv6-based world is inevitable. Although the precise date on which IPv4 address space will become exhausted is an issue currently under debate, sooner or later this exhaustion will occur. Therefore, it is prudent to begin deploying IPv6 today in an orderly manner, rather than being subject to accelerated expenses and last minute improvisations in the future.

Although IPv4 currently supports many applications, it evidences several limitations that complicate and, in some cases, represent a barrier that hinders the extensive development of the Internet. IPv6 was designed to overcome these limitations and barriers. Future benefits of IPv6 include:

Eliminating the need for Network Address Translation (NAT) which will:

a. Restore the original intention of the Internet: point-to-point communication.
b. Simplify encryption and authentication at the network layer.
c. Maintain the potential for greater security.
d. Allow automatic IPv6 host configuration when connected to an IPv6 network.
e. Expand the use of different types of addresses.

The mandate of the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) requires that by June 2008 all United States federal government agency network backbones support IPv6.

Status

In the USA, deployment of IPv6 is a government mandate. Consequently, because there are no demands from the commercial sector, the transition is moving along slowly as equipment providers, all of them a part of the business sector, cannot see any benefits to be obtained by implementing the software or hardware necessary for a speedy transition.

At this point it is important to understand that the USA’s IP infrastructure uses more addresses than all of the other countries combined. Consequently, modifying this infrastructure is much more difficult than in countries with smaller infrastructure. At the moment some private companies have IPv6 networks but, because of the high operating costs involved, it is not easy to offer this service to the public. Furthermore, users will always ask “What benefit will I obtain if I implement IPv6?” The existing philosophy is that “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.” There are currently no obvious benefits and, if no economic benefits are involved, there is no incentive to modify a network.

Most of the work that has been carried out up to date has been done by the Department of Defense (DoD). In practice, it is they who are the most advanced, closely followed by two other agencies. A major experience I’ve had was working for one of them while simultaneously having the chance to exchange experiences with all government agencies, particularly the DoD. The DoD has an advantage in that, while other government agencies must implement IPv6 in their operating structure, the DoD has an IPv6 network which is used for testing purposes. In other words, they began with an IPv6 network and moved back from there to see what would work. In general, I will summarize my impressions based on the last IPv6 summit held in March 2007 and information I have received during the past three months.

The general feeling is that it will be difficult to comply with the mandate by June 2008. However, most agencies have already complied with the following requirements:

Identifying the official who will coordinate the transition to IPv6.
Incorporating IPv6 requirements in purchasing procedures.
Completing an impact analysis and an inventory of all devices that will be impacted by IPv6 implementation.
Starting a Transition Plan.
Beginning personnel training.
Assigning Address Space

What still needs to be done:

Identifying current infrastructure.
Completing equipment replacement and upgrade.
Security policy planning.
Address planning.
Identifying applications that must be migrated to IPv6.
Pilots and test planning.
Communications planning.

Note 1: Transition to IPv6 involves a group of activities that are not described above but which can be grouped within the Transition Plan. These activities are very important for the complete implementation to be successful (for further information, please feel free to contact me through my e-mail address).
Even though some agencies may have progressed more than others, at the time of writing this article I must say that during the past two weeks I have worked on proposals for two large government agencies and what still needs to be done is more or less what I have described in the list above.
It is also important to observe that NOT all federal agencies have the same requirements as the DoD. Because of its very nature, the DoD network requires many implementations that other agencies that are perhaps less important from the point of view of national security do not require.

Note 2: It is important to define expectations for June 2008. The CIO Council has interpreted the OMB mandate as follows. The Council has established that agencies must “be able to demonstrate that they are capable of performing at least the following functions, without compromising IPv4 capability or network security: “

Transmit IPv6 traffic from the Internet and external peers, through the network backbone (of the agencies) to the LAN.

Transmit IPv6 traffic from the LAN, through the network backbone, out to the Internet and external peers.

Transmit IPv6 traffic from the LAN, through the network backbone, to another LAN (or another node on the same LAN).“

Note 3: Contrary to popular belief, the biggest problem that the transition must overcome is not technical, as for the most part modern equipment complies with basic IPv6 technology. However, many people focus on technical aspects and neglect the requirements necessary for a trouble-free transition to the new protocol. The transition requires individuals that understand the technical aspects involved but that are also capable of translating these into management decisions that will comply with the requirements relating to the goals of each company. In fact, many people have no idea how to begin a transition plan or what elements are required for its implementation.