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| DormV6 – A Pure IPv6 Testbed
in Taiwan
Are we ready for pure IPv6? Should we encourage everyone to transfer from IPv4 to IPv6? While we would like to use IPv6 to help us solve network problems, will it raise more questions at the same time? Once the end users or the CEOs of corporations make up their minds, can IPv6 really be ready for users' daily usages? Internet users have always brought up these questions. Most users may not believe that IPv6 is ready for providing daily practical services. IPv6 has been planned for more than a decade and lots of well-designed specifications have been added to its protocol standard. For example, ample address space, enhanced extension services, security, and mobility are key factors to bring back the Internet's point-to-point nature. Currently, IPv6 has been successfully adapted to cable TV service [1] and VoIP experiments [2][3]. Problems pertaining to transition from IPv4 to IPv6 have also been extensively studied by researchers [4]. However, little research has been done on what exactly will happen regarding daily usage for general users. This year, with the support of the Taiwan government, the Taiwan IPv6 Infrastructure Division has initiated a very bold project [5]. It aims to ready IPv6 for general users and to seek answers for the following two questions: Are we really ready for IPv6? and, How painful will it be to switch from IPv4 to IPv6? National Ilan University was chosen, and 160 undergraduate students who live in the campus dormitory have been carefully selected to join this project (DormV6). Through the NAT_PT provided by Cisco, a pure IPv6 testbed was constructed so that users can access IPv4 resources without delays and problems. At the same time, a wireless environment has also been integrated into this testbed, including IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.16, and Mobile IPv6. Lots of applications based on Mobile IPv6 will also be developed and tested for versatility and availability. Right from the beginning of our experiment, we considered the operating systems (Linux or Windows) that could provide adequate support to IPv6, and those fundamental applications (WWW, FTP and Telnet) which are ready. However, we soon realized that ordinary users usually use Windows XP at this moment, and it does not support a pure IPv6 DNS query. Some of the well-known software programs — Outlook, Kaspersky, etc. — don't support IPv6 yet. Multi-Window Client software based on BBS, which is very popular here in Taiwan, also does not support IPv6. Our goal here is not to change users' habits by pushing them to use other OSs or applications. On the contrary, we revise frequently used applications (BBS) or specific settings (MSN) to provide transparent applications to the participants. At the same time, this project will also include additional prototypes developed by other teams for testing. Those are VoIPv6, P2PIPv6TV, WiMAX CarV6 and IDSv6. Additionally, through the cooperation with Prince Songkla University of Thailand, we initiated a joint project between us to test live videoconference technologies. During the initial phase, the main solution will be a compromise with practical situations. It will be a more realistic approach for the network operators of the campus IT department to design the transition strategy, rather than writing up new programs or applying whole new applications. Up to now, tons of queries and problems have been encountered. A survey will also be dispatched to the participants at the end of the program, followed by a thorough evaluation process. We may need more time to solve all these glitches, but we have to take note and resolve them now, or else the uncertainty and doubt will remain. [1]. http://bb.watch.impress.co.jp/cda/news/10708.html |
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