IPv6 Operations (v6ops) Internet Drafts

      
 Considerations For Using Unique Local Addresses
 
 draft-ietf-v6ops-ula-usage-considerations-05.txt
 Date: 11/12/2024
 Authors: Sheng Jiang, Bing Liu, Nick Buraglio
 Working Group: IPv6 Operations (v6ops)
 This document provides considerations for using IPv6 Unique Local Addresses (ULAs). Based on an analysis of different ULA usage scenarios, this document identifies use cases where ULA addresses are helpful as well as potential problems caused by using them.
 Neighbor Discovery Considerations in IPv6 Deployments
 
 draft-ietf-v6ops-nd-considerations-12.txt
 Date: 28/04/2025
 Authors: XiPeng Xiao, Eduard, Eduard Metz, Gyan Mishra, Nick Buraglio
 Working Group: IPv6 Operations (v6ops)
 The Neighbor Discovery (ND) protocol is a critical component of the IPv6 architecture. The protocol uses multicast in many messages. It also assumes a security model where all nodes on a link are trusted. Such a design might be inefficient in some scenarios (e.g., use of multicast in wireless networks) or when nodes are not trustworthy (e.g., public access networks). These security and operational issues and the associated mitigation solutions are documented in more than 20 RFCs. There is a need to track these issues and solutions in a single document. To that aim, this document summarizes the published ND issues and then describes how all these issues originate from three causes. Addressing the issues is made simpler by addressing the causes. This document also analyzes the mitigation solutions and demonstrates that isolating hosts into different subnets and links can help to address the three causes. Guidance is provided for selecting a suitable isolation method to prevent potential ND issues.
 Framework of Multi-domain IPv6-only Underlay Network and IPv4-as-a-Service
 
 draft-ietf-v6ops-framework-md-ipv6only-underlay-10.txt
 Date: 04/04/2025
 Authors: Chongfeng Xie, Chenhao Ma, Xing Li, Gyan Mishra, Thomas Graf
 Working Group: IPv6 Operations (v6ops)
 For the IPv6 transition, IPv6-only is considered as the final stage, where only IPv6 protocol is used for transport while maintaining global reachability for both IPv6 and IPv4 services. This document illustrates a framework of multi-domain IPv6-only underlay network from an operator's perspective. In particular, it proposes stateless address mapping as the base for enabling IPv4 service data transmission in an multi-domain IPv6-only environment(i.e.,IPv4-as- a-Service). It describes the methodology of stateless IPv4/IPv6 mapping, illustrates the behaviors of network devices, analyzes the options of IPv6 mapping prefix allocation, examines the utilization of SRv6, and discusses the security considerations.
 IPv6 CE Routers LAN Prefix Delegation
 
 draft-ietf-v6ops-cpe-lan-pd-07.txt
 Date: 21/04/2025
 Authors: Timothy Winters
 Working Group: IPv6 Operations (v6ops)
 This document defines requirements for IPv6 Customer Edge (CE) routers to support DHCPv6 Prefix Delegation for distributing unused prefixes that were delegated to a IPv6 CE router. This document updates RFC 7084.
 464XLAT Customer-side Translator (CLAT): Node Recommendations
 
 draft-ietf-v6ops-claton-04.txt
 Date: 17/03/2025
 Authors: Jen Linkova, Tommy Jensen
 Working Group: IPv6 Operations (v6ops)
 464XLAT [RFC6877] defines an architecture for providing IPv4 connectivity across an IPv6-only network. The solution contains two key elements: provider-side translator (PLAT) and customer-side translator (CLAT). This document complements [RFC6877] and updates [RFC8585] by providing recommendations for the node developers on enabling and disabling CLAT functions.
 IPv6-Mostly Networks: Deployment and Operations Considerations
 
 draft-ietf-v6ops-6mops-01.txt
 Date: 03/03/2025
 Authors: Nick Buraglio, Ondrej Caletka, Jen Linkova
 Working Group: IPv6 Operations (v6ops)
 This document discusses a deployment scenario called "an IPv6-Mostly network", when IPv6-only and IPv4-enabled endpoints coexist on the same network (network segment, VLAN, SSID etc).
 Basic Requirements for IPv6 Customer Edge Routers
 
 draft-ietf-v6ops-rfc7084bis-02.txt
 Date: 03/03/2025
 Authors: Gabor Lencse, Jordi Martinez, Patton, Timothy Winters
 Working Group: IPv6 Operations (v6ops)
 This document specifies requirements for an IPv6 Customer Edge (CE) router. Specifically, the current version of this document focuses on the basic provisioning of an IPv6 CE router and the provisioning of IPv6 hosts attached to it. The document obsoletes RFC 7084.
 Prefer use of RFC8781 for Discovery of IPv6 Prefix Used for IPv6 Address Synthesis
 
 draft-ietf-v6ops-prefer8781-01.txt
 Date: 25/02/2025
 Authors: Nick Buraglio, Tommy Jensen, Jen Linkova
 Working Group: IPv6 Operations (v6ops)
 On networks providing IPv4-IPv6 translation (NAT64, RFC7915), hosts and other endpoints might need to know the IPv6 prefix used for translation (the NAT64 prefix). While RFC7050 defined a DNS64-based prefix discovery mechanism, more robust methods have since emerged. This document provides updated guidelines for NAT64 prefix discovery, deprecating the RFC7050 approach in favor of modern alternatives (e.g., RFC8781) except where those are unavailable.

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IPv6 Operations (v6ops)

WG Name IPv6 Operations
Acronym v6ops
Area Operations and Management Area (ops)
State Active
Charter charter-ietf-v6ops-05 Approved
Document dependencies
Additional resources GitHub
Wiki, Zulip Stream
Personnel Chairs Nick Buraglio, Ron Bonica, XiPeng Xiao
Area Director Mohamed Boucadair
Tech Advisor Fred Baker
Materials Managers Ron Bonica, XiPeng Xiao
Mailing list Address v6ops@ietf.org
To subscribe https://www.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/v6ops
Archive https://mailarchive.ietf.org/arch/browse/v6ops/
Chat Room address https://zulip.ietf.org/#narrow/stream/v6ops

Charter for Working Group

The global deployment of IPv6 is underway, creating an Internet
consisting of IPv4-only, IPv6-only, IPv4-IPv6 dual-stack, and
IPv6+translation networks and nodes. This deployment must be properly
handled to avoid the division of the Internet into separate IPv4 and
IPv6 networks, ensuring addressing and connectivity for all IPv4 and
IPv6 nodes. IPv6 deployment has resulted in the shutdown of IPv4 in
some networks. Removing IPv4 constraints has resulted in innovations
in IPv6 network operations.

The IPv6 Operations Working Group (v6ops) develops guidelines for the
deployment and operation of new and existing IPv6 networks.

The goals of the v6ops working group are:

  1. Solicit input from network operators and users to identify
    operational issues with IPv6 networks, and determine solutions or
    workarounds to those issues.

  2. Solicit input from network operators and users to identify
    operational interaction issues with the IPv4 networks, and determine
    solutions or workarounds to those issues.

  3. Solicit discussion and documentation of the issues and opportunities
    in IPv6-only operation, and of the resulting innovations.

  4. Operational solutions for identified issues should be developed in
    v6ops and documented in informational or BCP drafts.

  5. Document operational requirements for IPv6 networks.

These documents should document IPv6 operational experience, including
interactions with IPv4, in dual stack networks, IPv6 networks with IPv4
delivered as an overlay or translation service, or IPv6-only networks.

IPv6 operational and deployment issues with specific protocols or
technologies (such as Applications, Transport Protocols, Routing
Protocols, DNS or Sub-IP Protocols) are the primary responsibility of
the groups or areas responsible for those protocols or
technologies. However, the v6ops Working Group may provide input to
those areas/groups, as needed, and cooperate with those areas/groups in
reviewing solutions to IPv6 operational and deployment problems.

Future work items within this scope will be adopted by the Working Group
only if there is a substantial expression of interest from the community
and if the work clearly does not fit elsewhere in the IETF.

There must be a continuous expression of interest for the Working Group
to work on a particular work item. If there is no longer sufficient
interest in the Working Group in a work item, the item may be removed
from the list of Working Group items.

Milestones

Date Milestone Associated documents
Dec 2026 Identify issues that prevent IPv6 traffic from becoming majority, and publish guidelines
Dec 2026 Publish BCP for enterprise IPv6 deployment
Jul 2026 Solicit IPv6-only deployment cases and publish BCP for IPv6-only
Jul 2026 Identify IPv6 issues that prevent H.E. from selecting IPv6 for Dual-Stack users, and publish operational solutions
Dec 2025 Update IPv6 CPE requirements (rfc7084-update)
Jul 2025 Publishing deployment and operations guidelines for IPv6-mostly
Dec 2024 Publish dhcp-pd, hbh, nd-considerations, rfc3849-update as RFCs

Done milestones

Date Milestone Associated documents
Done Recommendations regarding the use of DNS64
Done Update RFC 6555 with experience
Done Update RFC 7084 (IPv6 CE Requirements)
Done Prefix for use by IPv4/IPv6 translators in a network
Done File recommendation on how to build a commercial WiFi network