Subject: Re: draft-palet-v6ops-proto41-nat-03 as WG item

From: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2003 15:32:57 -0800

>Has the "uniqueness" problem been solved/sorted out? E.g.:

>If i and Jordi attend the same conference and stay on the same hotel,
>which only has a nat box, can we both use this "mechanism"?
>Or should i have to phone Jordi and say: "Hey, can you disconnect for 5
>mins, i need to use IPv6!".

If a site (e.g. your hotel, Carlos) prefers to keep working with a proto41 
IPv4-only NAT router instead of buying a 6to4 or even  IPv6 router with 
native IPv6 external connectivity, then all  incoming IPv4 packets with 
PF=41 will be routed to a fixed IPv6/IPv4 device which has to play the 
role of IPv6 router. 

This is a typical example of distribution of router functionality, i.e., 
functionality conceptually belonging to one IPv6/IPv4 router, e.g. 6to4 
router, are split now between two nodes - the first is the IPv4-only 
router whereas the second is an IPv6/IPv4 host with embedded IPv6 
functionality.
Summing up,  in this case the missing IPv6 functionality in the IPv4-only 
NAT router should be compensate in another place - either embedded in an 
IPv6/IPv4 host or deployed in a separate (second) IPv6 router. Another 
alternative is Teredo.

So, if the hotel does this, you, Carlos, should not call Jordi for getting 
IPv6 connectivity, although you may call him for having a cup of coffee 
together :-)! 

By the way, choosing for proto41 IPv4-only NAT router can happen due to 
whatever reasons, mostly financial, e.g. consider a router with an 
integrated access modem (i.e. an integrated solution) that costs ~250 euro 
instead of 50 euro for a simpler IPv4 routers. If there is no IPv6 
firmware upgrade for this integrated solution  (and usually there is no) 
then everybody starts thinking twice before buying a new IPv6/IPv4 router. 
Solution like proto41 may be a quick "patch" then.

>Is this still true? Is this *clearly* reflected on the current draft 
version?

Jordi, according to me it is not clearly written in the draft. This is 
certainly point for improvement. 

Mariana
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Dr. Mariana Nikolova 
Philips Research Laboratories Eindhoven (IST/SwA/DS)
Prof. Holstlaan 4, 5656 AA, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
room: WDC 1.35,     phone: +31-40-27-45455
e-mail: [email-masked] 
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