ISPs

Before the ISP can consider providing IPv6 service, it must obtain IPv6 addresses from its regional RIR, which in the case of Latin America and the Caribbean is LACNIC.

After obtaining these addresses the ISP is ready to deploy IPv6 by following three steps, namely:

• 1- Publishing the addresses they obtain on the Internet
• 2- Deploying IPv6 in its own network
• 3- Reaching end users (clients) with IPv6

1- Publishing the addresses they obtain on the Internet:

• - Native mode (the upstream provider must have implemented IPv6)
• - Tunneled mode (it is necessary to contact a higher level-provider who is able to finish the tunnel and has native IPv6)

2- In broad terms, there are two alternatives that may be considered for the ISP’s network:

• - If the ISP has implemented MPLS in its network, then the transition is simple:
  it is enough to deploy Dual Stack at PEs and then utilize 6PE. In this way, core routers (P) do not have to be modified.
• - If the ISP has not implemented MPLS in its network, Dual Stack will be necessary in all routers through which IPv6 traffic will pass.

3- Towards clients:

There are several alternatives that allow reaching clients with IPv6, among them (and in order of preference):

• - Dual Stack (the CPE must support both protocols)
• - Tunnels

  o Manual: Does not scale well; only justified in cases where there are few clients.

  o Automatic: 6to4 (if the client has public IPv4) and Teredo/Miredo (in those cases where the client is behind a NAT). In this case it is recommended that the ISP deploy 6to4 Relays and Teredo in its network in order to optimize traffic.

In addition to technical considerations, there are other issues an ISP must consider, mainly regarding the economic aspects involved in this type of transition.
The documentation listed below contains examples of all these aspects.
Documentation: 

• • Scenarios and Analysis for Introducing IPv6 into ISP Networks
  • IPv6 in a regional ISP
  • Early IPv6 Deployment in a Global IP Network: Was it Worth it?
    Yves Poppes, VNSL/Teleglobe
  • Implementation at COMSAT
    Federico Diano, COMSAT
  • IPv6 Implementation in a Multi-Vendor Backbone Environment
    Roque Gagliano, ANTEL
  • Transition Mechanisms
  • Cisco IPv6 Solutions
  • Enabling the Next Generation of Networking with End-to-End IPv6

An ISP’s transition to IPv6 requires moving from a service exclusively based on IPv4 to one that will support both IPv4 and IPv6. For this it is necessary to introduce a new technology, without interrupting or degrading existing services. Three fundamental aspects should be taken into consideration:

• Providing IPv6 services to customers
• Deploying IPv6 within the provider’s network
• Interconnection with other IPv6 providers

In all these cases there are different possible strategies to choose from. The following are some of the most common scenarios:

• Tunneling and/or dual snack mechanisms to provide IPv6 connectivity with the customer
• Implementing dual stack in the provider’s backbone or utilizing mechanisms such as 6PE that allow transport of IPv6 over the already existing MPLS structure
• Establishing native IPv6 peerings with upstream providers or at NAPs/IXPs.

In addition to technical considerations, there are other issues an ISP must consider, mainly regarding the economic aspects involved in this type of transition.
The documentation listed below contains examples of all these aspects.
Documentation:

•  
  • Scenarios and Analysis for Introducing IPv6 into ISP Networks
  • IPv6 in a regional ISP
  • Early IPv6 Deployment in a Global IP Network: Was it Worth it?
    Yves Poppes, VNSL/Teleglobe
  • Implementation at COMSAT
    Federico Diano, COMSAT
  • IPv6 Implementation in a Multi-Vendor Backbone Environment
    Roque Gagliano, ANTEL
  • Transition Mechanisms
  • Cisco IPv6 Solutions
  • Enabling the Next Generation of Networking
    with End-to-End IPv6