ipv6 next-hop link-local

[Mark Smith]

Hi Gert,

On Sat, 19 Feb 2011 14:51:28 +0100
Gert Doering <gert at space.net> wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> On Sat, Feb 19, 2011 at 11:02:35PM +1030, Mark Smith wrote:
> > Just that if Gert feels he needs to question people in his email
> > signature, by default, as to whether they've enabled IPv6 or not, it
> > seems to me that is a sign that there isn't very much IPv6 operational
> > experience yet. 
> 
> There's a fair bit of operational experience on the routing side of things
> (the IXPs we're connected to have offered IPv6 roughly since 2001).
> 

I just wonder if those sorts of deployments have followed "IPv4
thinking". I think "IPv4 thinking" is "this is how we can do it and do
do it in IPv4, so we'll do it the same way in IPv6, because IPv6 is
similar enough to IPv4."

I'd like to see more people adopt "IPv6 thinking", which I think is,
"IPv6 is similar enough to IPv4 that I can probably use the methods
I've used in IPv4. However, IPv6 is also different to IPv4, so I'll see
if those differences allow me to better achieve or provide more
benefits to what I'm trying to do." I think using link-locals for eBGP
sessions is an example of this. That's not to say you should always use
them, just that there may be useful benefits in doing so, so they
should be evaluated and considered.

I get concerned about people lobbying for removal of IPv6 features when
they seem to be doing it from an "IPv4 thinking" perspective. If
they're successful, then they've not only taken it away from themselves
in the future, if they eventually realise it might be useful, but
they've also taken it away from those of us who might want to use
that feature today because we can see useful benefits.


Regards,
Mark.

> My signature is more targeting the serious lack of IPv6 deployment in
> "hosts", that is, communication endpoints.  Lots of people need to do 
> their part there, so a gentle reminder every now and then might keep 
> the issue in mind...
> 
> Gert Doering
>         -- NetMaster
> -- 
> did you enable IPv6 on something today...?
> 
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