[AusNOG] IPv6 is hard.

[Matthew Palmer]

On Fri, Jul 20, 2012 at 08:45:28PM +1000, Joseph Goldman wrote:
> I think it's important to remember that we are on this list for
> reasonable discussion among professionals, delving into arguments
> and sarcasm won't benefit the discussion.
> 
> I also think it's safe to say that IPv6 is possible, but may not be
> practical for all. Mostly, such as my case, limitations on resources
> to implement such as current hardware and time. As Don was
> mentioning, those outfits with limited resources in the interest of
> lowering costs as much as possible to stay cut-throat competitive,
> IPv6 implementation just isn't high on the list due to the knowledge
> it will still take a long time yet before IPv4 is dropped in any
> meaningful way.

The problem is that IPv6 *isn't* something you can ignore until you feel the
economic climate is more prepared.  Now that we've hit the first stages of
IPv4 address exhaustion, some of your competitors (regardless of what
industry you're competing in) will start to see the benefits of IPv6, and
they *will* start to invest the money in it.  Then, when the *real*
crunch-time comes, and you either can't get public IPv4 addresses at *all*,
or you have to pay more and more money for them, the realisation will hit
that avoiding IPv6 isn't a cost minimisation exercise, it is instead a means
of greatly increasing your costs in the future.

Now, you personally might be lucky and never have any need of further IPv4
addresses.  Good for you.  But plenty of organisations *do* need further IP
address space, and they're now starting to have some trouble getting IPv4. 
Those organisations which have adopted IPv6 will be cool, and those who have
not will either die or very hurriedly start supporting it when the cost of
obtaining additional IPv4 addresses exceeds the cost of deploying IPv6. 
This will drive IPv6 rollout and adoption in ways that mirror the takeup of
the Internet itself -- plenty of people who don't see it coming will be
flattened.  Far more quickly that you would expect, IPv6 support will go
from "damn that's going to cost some coin, maybe next year" to "the company
can't operate because some vital new service is IPv6 only and I'm going to
have to explain why I didn't see this coming and plan for it".

Yes, it sucks.  It'd be great if Someone Else had worked out all the kinks
with IPv6 and the rest of us could just sit back and do nothing and have it
all just roll itself out automagically.  But given that has practically
*never* happened in my career, and I'm willing to bet that it's happened
rarely enough in yours, I'm a little surprised that you'd think that IPv6
will ever be any different to everything else you've ever had to deal with.

- Matt


-- 
"Mr... Baggins. It seems you have been leading... two lives.  In one... you are 
an ordinary hobbit... you organize your uncle's diary... give generous gifts to 
children.  In the other...  you are the Ring Bearer... charged to carry the One 
Ring to Mount Doom.  One life has... a future, Mr... Baggins, and the other..."