[AusNOG] Fw: RFC 7421 on Analysis of the 64-bit Boundary in IPv6 Addressing

[Mark ZZZ Smith]

Hi,

New IPv6 RFC just published that people might be interested in - it explains why IPv6 Interface Identifiers (i.e., the lower 64 bits of the IPv6 address) are 64 bits (mainly, with only a few exceptions) and also discusses the issues there would be if they were changed in size or made variable in size.


"The IPv6 unicast addressing format includes a separation between the
prefix used to route packets to a subnet and the interface identifierused to specify a given interface connected to that subnet.
Currently, the interface identifier is defined as 64 bits long for
almost every case, leaving 64 bits for the subnet prefix.  This
document describes the advantages of this fixed boundary and analyzes
the issues that would be involved in treating it as a variable
boundary."

https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc7421


(I was quite flattered when I was asked to be one of the final detailed reviewers of it before it was escalated out of the IETF 6man working group upon the path towards publication as an RFC.)

Regards,
Mark.



----- Forwarded Message -----
From: "rfc-editor at rfc-editor.org" <rfc-editor at rfc-editor.org>
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Sent: Thursday, 15 January 2015, 9:43
Subject: RFC 7421 on Analysis of the 64-bit Boundary in IPv6 Addressing


A new Request for Comments is now available in online RFC libraries.

        
        RFC 7421

        Title:      Analysis of the 64-bit Boundary 
                    in IPv6 Addressing 
        Author:     B. Carpenter, Ed.,
                    T. Chown, F. Gont,
                    S. Jiang, A. Petrescu,
                    A. Yourtchenko
        Status:     Informational
        Stream:     IETF
        Date:       January 2015
        Mailbox:    brian.e.carpenter at gmail.com, 
                    tjc at ecs.soton.ac.uk, 
                    fgont at si6networks.com,
                    jiangsheng at huawei.com, 
                    alexandru.petrescu at cea.fr,
                    ayourtch at cisco.com
        Pages:      24
        Characters: 60469
        Updates/Obsoletes/SeeAlso:   None

        I-D Tag:    draft-ietf-6man-why64-08.txt

        URL:        https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc7421

The IPv6 unicast addressing format includes a separation between the
prefix used to route packets to a subnet and the interface identifier
used to specify a given interface connected to that subnet.
Currently, the interface identifier is defined as 64 bits long for
almost every case, leaving 64 bits for the subnet prefix.  This
document describes the advantages of this fixed boundary and analyzes
the issues that would be involved in treating it as a variable
boundary.

This document is a product of the IPv6 Maintenance Working Group of the IETF.


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