Experiences from an IPv6-Only Network
RFC 6586

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Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)                          J. Arkko
Request for Comments: 6586                                    A. Keranen
Category: Informational                                         Ericsson
ISSN: 2070-1721                                               April 2012

                 Experiences from an IPv6-Only Network

Abstract

   This document discusses our experiences from moving a small number of
   users to an IPv6-only network, with access to the IPv4-only parts of
   the Internet via a NAT64 device.  The document covers practical
   experiences as well as roadblocks and opportunities for this type of
   a network setup.  The document also makes some recommendations about
   where such networks are applicable and what should be taken into
   account in the network design.  The document also discusses further
   work that is needed to make IPv6-only networking applicable in all
   environments.

Status of This Memo

   This document is not an Internet Standards Track specification; it is
   published for informational purposes.

   This document is a product of the Internet Engineering Task Force
   (IETF).  It represents the consensus of the IETF community.  It has
   received public review and has been approved for publication by the
   Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG).  Not all documents
   approved by the IESG are a candidate for any level of Internet
   Standard; see Section 2 of RFC 5741.

   Information about the current status of this document, any errata,
   and how to provide feedback on it may be obtained at
   http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6586.

Arkko & Keranen               Informational                     [Page 1]
RFC 6586                  IPv6-Only Experiences               April 2012

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (c) 2012 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
   document authors.  All rights reserved.

   This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal
   Provisions Relating to IETF Documents
   (http://trustee.ietf.org/license-info) in effect on the date of
   publication of this document.  Please review these documents
   carefully, as they describe your rights and restrictions with respect
   to this document.  Code Components extracted from this document must
   include Simplified BSD License text as described in Section 4.e of
   the Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as
   described in the Simplified BSD License.

Table of Contents

   1. Introduction ....................................................3
   2. Technology and Terminology ......................................4
   3. Network Setup ...................................................4
      3.1. The IPv6-Only Network ......................................5
      3.2. DNS Operation ..............................................6
   4. General Experiences .............................................7
   5. Experiences with IPv6-Only Networking ...........................9
      5.1. Operating Systems ..........................................9
      5.2. Programming Languages and APIs ............................10
      5.3. Instant Messaging and VoIP ................................11
      5.4. Gaming ....................................................12
      5.5. Music Services ............................................13
      5.6. Appliances ................................................13
      5.7. Other Differences .........................................13
   6. Experiences with NAT64 .........................................13
      6.1. IPv4 Address Literals .....................................14
      6.2. Comparison of Web Access via NAT64 to Other Methods .......15
   7. Future Work ....................................................15
   8. Conclusions and Recommendations ................................16
   9. Security Considerations ........................................18
   10. References ....................................................19
      10.1. Normative References .....................................19
      10.2. Informative References ...................................19
   Appendix A. Acknowledgments .......................................21

Arkko & Keranen               Informational                     [Page 2]
RFC 6586                  IPv6-Only Experiences               April 2012

1.  Introduction

   This document discusses our experiences from moving a small number of
   users to an IPv6-only network, with access to the IPv4-only parts of
   the Internet via a NAT64 device.  This arrangement has been done with
   a permanent change in mind rather than as a temporary experiment,
   involves both office and home users, heterogeneous computing
   equipment, and varied applications.  We have learned both practical
   details, roadblocks and opportunities, as well as a more general
   understanding of when such a configuration can be recommended and