Blog Bangkok: Updated my IPv6 Hard-Disc with latest migration approaches

However Bangkok city is well developed, peoples are still in the phase of civilization and system is still in the phase of like under-developing. “First Impression is the Last Impression”. It was amazing that the driver who drive us from subarnabhumi airport to nonthaburi (almost 40KM) hotel, charged us 700bhat plus 100 Bhat for express way charge. Me and Mr. Surya Lamichhane both were happy reaching the hotel in time and provided the taxi fare with additional 20Bhat as tips, but we paid a total amount of 280Bhat plus 100 Bhat at express charge while returning back from hotel to Subarnabhumi airport following the same route .  Only taxi meter is not trustworthy, better use bill printing system too. If somebody do overbilling then ……

Anyway, the four days Bangkok training workshop on “IPv6 Migration Strategies for Telecom Service Providers”, was really became the fruitful one for me. Thorough knowledge on migration approaches has been covered. Presentations from ISOC representatives, Japanese KDDI, Thai AIS, Alcatel Lucent and especially the remarkable presentations with demonstration of routing configuration from Philip Smith of APINIC helps me to overwrite the old hard-disc of my mind with new and the recent approaches of migration techniques.

With my thesis on 2008, I had expected that the world would have IPv6-only network only after 2030. “It is envisaged that the internet will operate Dual-STACK (co-existence of IPv4 and IPv6 both) for many years to come”. This was one of the conclusions drawn from this workshop too.  Therefore there are only three options for ISPs regarding IPv6 migration:

• Do Nothing

This is the don’t care condition that ISPs just wait and see the world’s scenario but do nothing and hence no market growth and once in the future may needs rapid migration because migration is inevitable.

• Extend Life of IPv4

IPv4 address is already exhausted as announced by APNIC. Only the solution for service providers is to force customers to Network Address Translation (NAT). IPv4 will be available in the market in black which they can purchase from this black market.  Or

• Deploy IPv6

However the migration strategies are listed as: tunneling, dualstack and translation, the tunneling approach is only for the connection among end network where backbone network don’t support the end-network IP infrastructure and thus tunneling can’t be taken as transition mechanism as it doesn’t encourage towards ipv6 network expansion. Focus to transition can only be addressed by:

Dual Stack Network: it is the best approach for ISPs at the beginning however it depends on sufficient IPv4 address availability. It may not interrupt the service to clients and ipv4 can simply be discontinued once the IPv6 services are fully operable.

6RD (Rapid Deployment): this approach may no longer exists and is the first solution to those ISPs whose network is not IPv6 ready to its v6 customers. It is just a tunneling between customer end dual stack router and service provider network gateway dual stack router to outside internet for IPv6 connectivity. This approach helps to provide quick way of accessing IPv6 to their customers.

Translation: this approach helps to translate the addresses and headers of IPv4 into IPv6 and vice-versa. If the service provider network is IPv6 only and have to provide the IPv4 service to its customer, this approach is the long term solution for ISPs for its better IPv6 services limiting ipv4 connection and finally move to IPv6 only network. Some of the approaches are Dual-Stack Lite and Address Family Translation (AFT) also called NAT64 (NATing for 6 to 4 conversion and vice-versa). In a native ipv6 network, a IPv4 tunnel over IPv6 network has to setup between customer router and ISP gateway.

NAT64 approach provides only the IPv6 services to its customers and if client wants to access IPv4 internet, a SP NAT64 gateway performs the address and protocol translation.
(Almost all the pictures of transition approach have been copied from Philip smith’s presentation during the workshop, I thank Philip for his efforts of comprehensive teaching material)

In year 2007, after I was returned back to IOE from my study visit of SOI-IPv6 network at KEIO University, probably, I was the first person in Nepal who setup IPv6-only network at the university network implementing NAT64 approach. With the massive help from SFC experts, the SOI Dual Stack network was first migrated to IPv6 network on November 2007. Hence this was the time after November 2007, Wide University SoI Network was migrated into to its IPv6-only operable network. We used SFC NAT-PT gateway for IPv4 network access. The technology was NAT-PT(network address and protocol translation), which is now redefined as Stateful Address Family Translation.

This was the fruitful updates what I gained after Bangkok v6 training. Based on this study, I have concluded the following road-map for Nepalese ISPs and Telcos to move into IPv6 network.

• ISPs are not required to rely on government policy/recommendation and any migration framework. You know, on which position we are now.

• Just turn on the customer gateway and ISP gateway into dual stack mode and follow 6RD (ipv6 over ipv4 tunnel) approach at the beginning to provide IPv6 service to your clients.

• Smoothly enable your all network devices into dual stack mode. Your infrastructure is now fully operable on both networks.

• Implement Dual Stack Lite if your existing customers still prefer ipv4 services.

• Finally move to stateful AFT (NAT64) if your customers are fully migrated to IPv6 and still want to access to IPv6 internet. This is the ultimate approach after which your network is fully IPv6 only.

Following may be the national roadmap for migration:

Phase 1 (2012-2013)

-Initiation
-creation of IPv6 Task force and forum within  company
 coordination.

Phase 2 (2013-2014)

- Conduct Awareness , Training and workshop.

Phase 3 (2014-2016)

-Single and Isolated IPv6 test-bed network 

-implement 6RD for IPv6 services to clients (short term)

Phase 4 (2014-2019)

- CPE upgrade for IPv6
- enable dual stack network 

Phase 5 (2019-2024)

- process for IPv6 only network 

- implement Dual Stack Lite approach
- Provide commercial IPv6 services
- follow the world’s Scenario 

Phase 6 (2024-2030)

- enable IPv6 stack only 

- Remove the tunneling and tunnel broker
- Implement AFT (NAT64) for rare ipv4 connection
- Post research and implementation after year 2028
- continue awareness, workshop, training, research and development/framework  update throughout the migration period.

I thank to my workshop group 1 for creating final performance presentation and concluded with the above road-map which will be the recommended migration road-map for developing countries. The presentations by each group were performed utilizing its knowledge gained throughout the training. I was quite happy representing my group 1 to present our findings.

This was my first trip to Bangkok. I was quite excited having tour of Bangkok tour, however the tight program schedule limit us to towards the Saturday only the free day for us. With the extensive help of my AIT friend Nisarat and her friend, we entertained riding the boat, visit of famous places like river island, grand palace and town square center around Bangkok.

The successful completion of my Bangkok training headed me towards the Vientiane workshop organized by ITU (bridging the standardization gap) at LAO PDR. On 29th July, I travelled laos for the next prestigious  workshop.