We are just six weeks away from the first Coalition Summit for IPv6, which takes place from May 23 to 26. I’m excited about meeting hundreds of our 6Sense readers, perhaps including you. If you join us at the Hyatt Regency in Reston, you will have the opportunity to hear and speak with 50 top authorities, including CIOs, generals, IPv6 transition plan writers, business executives, standards group leaders, entrepreneurs, inventors, and others whose work involves and influences IPv6. Dozens of countries are expected to send IPv6-savvy delegates to share their nations’ v6 project results and to join the great discussion about how to transition to the New Internet.

There are advantages for the US and its allies, its Coalition Partners in the largest and most inclusive sense, to move to IPv6 at the same rate, with similar standards and definitions, and to share the results of research, development, and deployment. With coordination, the best applications can reach 50 to 100 nations rapidly. Without coordination, tens of billions of dollars or euros could be wasted simply reinventing the wheel. Over $500 million in government funds have been spent outside the US on IPv6, and savvy American delegates will be able to leverage that knowledge so that it can also be put to use in the US. If there were to be an absence of visionary leadership, standards, and carrots and sticks to have everyone using the same IPv6, we might end up with different nations or corporations making changes in the protocol itself, in IPsec, in QoS, or in applications like satellite video or VoIPv6. Some have started to wonder whether there will be different subversions of version 6 emerging in Europe, Asia and the US. This Coalition Summit for IPv6 is the place to make a stand for a single unified version 6 that exemplifies global connectivity, interoperability and adaptability, with the potential to result in lower transaction costs and end-to-end IP improvements for all.

We are offering a limited number of free passes to three groups to encourage participation and widespread access to the expert IPv6 knowledge on offer at the Coalition Summit for IPv6.

1. US military employees

2. US federal government employees, and

3. Government employees of Coalition Partners in the broadest sense.

If you are in one of these three groups you can get a code to register for the Summit at no cost. To take advantage of this offer you will need to register soon, as this offer for free passes will be closed out before the end of April. Feel free to write me at alex@usipv6.com and tell me what you are doing in the area of IPv6, and which free pass category you are in. If you qualify, I will gladly send you the registration code. Government contractors are not eligible for this offer (which is meant for direct government employees), but the regular registration is still very inexpensive, and your participation is vital.

In this issue of 6Sense we have an articles from William Ivancic of NASA on the IPv6-based Global Aeronautical Network, from Chris Buerger of Ixia on baseline IPv6 performance testing, from Bill Kine of Spirent on multicast communication, from Salah al-Buraiky of Saudi Aramco on the “Beyond Connectivity Services” mindset, from Tim Le Master of Juniper, Wanda Newman and Neal Katz of Global Crossing and Tim Winker of Northrop Grumman on how their team creates IPv6 connectivity and service (they will be doing this at the Summit), from Alex Ramia of Panasonic on how v6 is more than just another numbering system, and my article on the need to appoint a federal IPv6 leader, preferably soon. I look forward to meeting you at the Summit. Please do register and be part of making IP history!

Sincerely,

Alex Lightman
Chairman, Coalition Summit for IPv6

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is performing research and development under the Airspace Systems Program to enable major increases in the capacity, mobility and security of the air transportation system. The Advanced CNS Architectures and Systems Technologies Project (ACAST) Project within this program is developing technologies intended to improve the performance of the communications, navigation and surveillance infrastructure in support of the program’s goals. In addition, in 2004, NASA initiated the Secure Aircraft System for Information Flow (SASIF) project, an element of the Aviation Safety Program (AvSP). SASIF is concerned with hardening the radio data links and network communications, mainly directed at hostile act intervention and protection.

NASA is working with other U.S. government agencies, including the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Transportation, and the Federal Aviation Administration, to define concepts and requirements for the transformation of the National Airspace System required to enable a tripling of growth in system capacity. A key concept of this transformation is the development of network-centric information systems, which includes the airborne elements.

The NASA Glenn Networking Research Group, on behalf of the ACAST and SASIF projects, has formulated a list of requirements to ensure global interoperability and deployment. Here, “global” implies interoperability of all elements including network security, whereas “deployment” implies affordability and readily available technologies (i.e., technologies that will be available in the next few years)...

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The Internet protocol (IP) is a minimalist protocol that provides simple universal connectivity. Its main function is to provide efficient and seamless end-to-end datagram delivery. The power of IP and its sphere of applicability can be greatly extended by enabling the use of a more generic host model and enabling the use of delivery models with more specific guarantees in certain aspects.

The capabilities resulting from extending the network layer functions can be collectively termed as Beyond Connectivity Services (BCS). This includes IP multicast, IP security, IP mobility and IP QoS. Multicast extends efficient end-to-end datagram delivery to multi-end-to-multi-end efficient delivery. IP mobility waives static location as a condition for seamless datagram delivery. QoS provides performance guarantees to the delivery process. IP security provides confidentiality and authenticity guarantees to the delivery. Those advanced (beyond basic connectivity) IP features are generic services that the network layer can offer to any upper layer protocol.

The current incarnation of the Internet protocol, IPv4, wasn’t born with those capabilities. They were back-fitted onto it at different stage of its lifetime. They are now widely available on many platforms and in many networks but there are serious limitations in deploying and benefiting from them. Those limitations stem from the limited address space of IPv4, its relatively rigid mechanism for supporting options and its large installed base, which limit the freedom protocol designers have in mandating them and in changing the base protocol specifications to optimally accommodate them. Today’s Internet is largely a unicast network with no mobility support, no QoS support and with mostly insecure protocols.

The IPv6 vision regarding BCS capabilities is that they should be scalable, flexibly applicable and mandatory. Scalability means that IPv6 is designed to support those functionalities Internet-wide and not only within enterprise networks. Flexible applicability means that IPv6 should provide much more flexibility in combining those functions together and in using them with other protocols. Security shouldn’t be a hindrance to providing QoS or multicast, for example...

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IPv6 can be the basis either for the US to become more deeply interwoven with its military allies and key trading partners and pay for its physical imports with data flowing via our world-class end-to-end networks, or to become more isolated from the rest of the world, with less and less that other advanced nations need or want. The US has gone from being a net exporter of virtually every major category to being a net importer of food, goods, capital, and high technology in 2005, even as the dollar heads towards the currency equivalent of being de-listed as the world’s reserve currency. Federal investment in IPv4 leadership has enabled us to be a net exporter of data, media, and services, but if the US does not win the game for IPv6 leadership, we put those exports at risk as well. Must we ask, “Who lost the Internet?” in years to come?

The choice of winning or losing IPv6 is in the hands of a few hundred federal government officials who decide whether and how to collaborate with the IPv6 leaders of key US allies including Japan, Korea, and Germany, as well as multinational alliances like NATO, the European Defense Force, and the European Commission. All these powerful entities will be sending representatives to the Coalition Summit for IPv6 to meet with their counterparts from the United States federal government, and with each other. The question that the US federal government needs to answer is, “Who speaks for IPv6 in the US?”...

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The combined resources and capabilities of Juniper Networks, Global Crossing and Northrop Grumman have recently joined forces to provide IPv6 connectivity and services to the Coalition Summit for IPv6, being held May 23-26 in Reston, VA.

This is the fifth show in the increasingly successful IPv6 Summit series of events. The May event promises to be better than ever.

Over 25 booths will be connected via IPv6 to the Juniper Networks, Inc. Router that supports IPv6 as well as dual stack IPv4 and IPv6 operations. Global Crossing will provide Wide Area Network connectivity for the v6 services so that remote facilities can be connected to the show for testing and demonstrations. Northrop Grumman will provide integration services and ensure that connectivity between booths and routing equipment is functional.

IPv6 is the next-generation networking protocol that will eventually replace Internet Protocol Version 4 (IPv4)...

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There are three fundamental methods for transmitting data over an IP network: unicast, broadcast and multicast. Unicast traffic is sent to a particular destination such as a host computer, web server or a particular end user. Broadcast traffic is forwarded to all users of the network. Multicast traffic is delivered to a specific subset of the network’s users. For example, an entire department, workgroup or site may share information by using multicast data transmissions.

Both unicast and broadcast traffic types are easy for networks to implement; data packets will either be delivered to a single unique destination, or they will be propagated throughout the entire network for all end users. Supporting multicast traffic is considerably more complex because the participants must first be identified, and then traffic must be sent to their specific locations. The network must also refrain from sending traffic to any unnecessary destinations in order to avoid wasting valuable bandwidth.

Large network operators are extremely concerned about the effects of multicast traffic on their networks. Network operators do not typically support broadcast traffic (no messages need to be delivered to all users). However, multicast traffic is increasing over the Internet. Applications such as data casting (news, stock tickers, etc.), video and audio transmissions, and training seminars (also called webinars) all depend upon multicast technology. These applications require the network to successfully deliver identical packets to a large number of receivers. These data packets often must be replicated at an exponential rate – the resulting bandwidth requirements and routing overhead associated with these applications can be quite daunting.

Multicast communications exist for one sole purpose – to conserve bandwidth...

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Invented out of the necessity to communicate more efficiently. Expanded to include the greater knowledge of the world. Named the “World Wide Web.” Know affectionately as the “world wide wait.”

The WWW took off faster than any other communication technology; its global embrace is now demanded by all modern consumers. We use this medium to describe our companies’ abilities, services and hours of operation. Consumers use the medium to schedule appointments, pay bills, review medical records, play games, date, listen to music, watch movies, gather news and now pay taxes. The Web is as entrenched in our day-to-day lives as the ever present PSTN and mobile phone.

When the skin of the Web is peeled back we find a clogged network, patched routes, stray packets, kluged numbering, hijacked consumers, security holes, etc., etc. While this worked well enough for the pioneers of the technology, it falls far short of a consumer friendly, reliable network that’s as easy to us as the PSTN...

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IPv6 and its set of well-documented benefits (see Ixia's IPv6 White Paper) have driven an increasing number of operating system and network equipment vendors to offer IPv6 support in their product lines that previously supported only IPv4. Today, market segments such as National Research Networks (NRNs) and connected university campuses, federal, and government organizations have deployed nationwide IPv6 networks. In addition, engineering organizations working on IPv6 applications or appliances, as well as service providers, require IPv6 capabilities in new product acquisitions...

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Baseline IPv6 performance testing with IxChariot

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Red Herring has a long standing reputation of shining its light on disruptive technologies. This tradition continues at the Red Herring Spring Conference 2005, taking place in Monterey, CA, May 17-19.

Publisher's Intro

NASA Seeks Input Regarding IPv6-Based Global Aeronautical Network
William D. Ivancic
Senior Research Engineer, NASA Glenn Research Center

The Beyond Connectivity Services Mindset
Salah M. S. Al-Buraiky
Data Network Engineer, Communication Solutions Engineering Group,
Saudi Aramco

Lead, Follow, or Lose the Great Game: Why We Must Choose a US IPv6 Leader
Alex Lightman,
CEO, IPv6 Summit, Inc.

Dream Team Supplies IPv6 Connectivity and Service At Coalition Summit for IPv6 in May
Juniper Networks

Multicast Communications - Supporting Shared Applications
Bill Kine
Product Manager, Spirent Communications

v6: More Than Just Another Numbering System
Alex Ramia
Panasonic

Baseline IPv6 performance testing with IxChariot
Chris Buerger
Ixia

Federal Computer Week

Red Herring Spring Conference,
May 17-19

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Coalition Summit for IPv6
Reston, VA

May 23-26, 2005

Global Coalition Comes Together for New Internet.

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