Using dual-stack backbones is a basic strategy for routing both IPv4 and IPv6. All routers in the network need to be upgraded to be dual-stack. IPv4 communication uses the IPv4 protocol stack (with forwarding of IPv4 packets based on routes learned through running IPv4-specific routing protocols), and IPv6 communication uses the IPv6 stack with routes learned through the IPv6-specific routing protocols.
The key requirements are that each site has an IPv6 unicast global prefix and appropriate entries in a DNS that map between host names and IP addresses for both IPv4 and IPv6. Applications choose between using IPv4 or IPv6 based on the response from the DNS resolver library, with the application selecting the correct address based on the type of IP traffic and particular requirements of the communication.
Today, dual-stack routing is a valid deployment strategy for specific network infrastructures with a mixture of IPv4 and IPv6 applications (such as on a campus or an aggregation point of presence), requiring both protocols to be configured. However, apart from the obvious need to upgrade all routers in the network, limitations to this approach are that the routers require a dual addressing scheme to be defined, require dual management of the IPv4 and IPv6 routing protocols, and must be configured with enough memory for both the IPv4 and IPv6 routing tables.
Also, Cisco does not recommend an overall upgrade to a dual-stack network until there is a better parity between features and traffic levels. Although IPv6 for Cisco IOS software fully supports dual-stack, the current implementation of IPv6 requires enhancements to various services (for example, IPv6 multicast) before any network can be upgraded to dual-stack.
Slide 2
IPv6 routing is turned on via the global configuration command ipv6 unicast-routing. The other command required is configuring an IPv6 address on an interface. This is accomplished in interface configuration mode with the ipv6 address <address> command.
Slide 3
Tunneling is the encapsulation of IPv6 traffic within IPv4 packets so that they can be sent over an IPv4 backbone, allowing isolated IPv6 end systems and routers to communicate without the need to upgrade the IPv4 infrastructure that exists between them. Tunneling is one of the key deployment strategies for both service providers and enterprises during the period of IPv4 and IPv6 coexistence.
Tunneling allows service providers to offer an end-to-end IPv6 service without major upgrades to the infrastructure and without impacting current IPv4 services. Tunneling allows enterprises to interconnect isolated IPv6 domains over their existing IPv4 infrastructures, or to connect to remote IPv6 networks such as the 6bone.
A variety of tunnel mechanisms are available. These mechanisms include manually created tunnels such as IPv6 manually configured tunnels (RFC 2893) and IPv6 over IPv4 GRE tunnels, semiautomatic tunnel mechanisms such as that employed by tunnel broker services, and fully automatic tunnel mechanisms such as IPv4-compatible and 6to4. Manual and GRE tunnels are used between two points and require configuration of both the source and destination ends of the tunnel, whereas automatic tunnel mechanisms need only to be enabled and are more transient — they are set up and taken down as required, and last only as long as the communication.
Slide 4
A manually configured tunnel is equivalent to a permanent link between two IPv6 domains over an IPv4 backbone. The primary use is for stable connections that require regular secure communication between two edge routers or between an end system and an edge router, or for connection to remote IPv6 networks such as the 6bone. The edge routers and end systems, if they are at the end of the tunnel, must be dual-stack implementations.
At each end of the tunnel, you configure the IPv4 and IPv6 addresses of the dual-stack router on the tunnel interface, and identify the entry and exit (or source and destination) points using IPv4 addresses. For enterprises, your ISP provides you with the appropriate IPv6 address prefix for your site. Your ISP also provides you with the required destination IPv4 address for the exit point of the tunnel.
Because each tunnel exists between only two routers, adding routers means adding tunnels to cater for all the paths between the routers. Because each tunnel is independently managed, the more routers you have, the more tunnels you need, and the greater is the management overhead. As with other tunnel mechanisms, NAT, when applied to the outer IPv4 header, is allowed along the path of the tunnel only if the translation map is stable and preestablished.
Configuring an IPv6 address on an interface automatically configures the interface link-local address and activates IPv6 for that interface.
Slide 6
The configuration of the IPv6 address on an interface automatically configures the link-local address for that interface. Also, the interface automatically joins the required multicast groups for that link:
Solicited node multicast address FF02::1:FF47:1530
All hosts on the link multicast addresses FF02::1
All routers on the link multicast addresses FF02::2