The ABCs and 123s of IPv6

What is IPv6 and Why Should I Care?

In order to understand IPv6, lets start with the IP part, which stands for Internet Protocol. IP is the foundation for Internet communications: it enables different devices to share information (i.e., communicate) by establishing standards for how that information is transmitted, protected and experienced by an end user. So when you hear terms like IP packet and IP address, what this really means is a data packet or device address that conforms to IP standards. The IP standard that most of us are familiar with is IP version 4 (IPv4), which was developed almost 30 years ago. Back when IPv4 was created, few people imagined the Internet would become what it is today: the global communications network of choice for hundreds of millions of computers, phones, tablets, etc. (Of course, smartphones and tablets hadnt even been invented back then.) When creating IPv4, it was decided to give each device on the Internet a unique IP address using a 32-bit addressing system that consisted of four numerical strings ranging from 0 to 255 (e.g., 198.168.12.255). 32-bit addressing allowed for a total maximum number of four billion unique devices on the Internet, more than enough needed or so it seemed in 1981. Fast forward to February 3, 2011, when the last blocks of IPv4 addresses have been distributed by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). With the exhaustion of IPv4 addresses imminent, what can be done? Well, much of the work has already been done, under IP version 6. You see, back in the 90s, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) realized that four billion addresses wouldnt be enough, so they created a new version of IP (IPv6) that, among other things, uses 128-bit addressing. As opposed to four billion unique IP addresses, IPv6 supports over 300 billion, billion, billion, billion unique addresses. Thats enough to keep a lot of people (and devices) IP for a long time. So all we need to do is convert everything to IPv6, right? Well, no. IPv4 devices cant be converted to IPv6; theyre hard-wired to work with IPv4. And its unlikely that youll convince anyone to throw out their IPv4-based smartphone, laptop or business server and buy a new one. So, for the foreseeable future, IPv4 and IPv6 devices will need to work together. For that to happen, there needs to be an intermediary network device, such as a media switch or session border controller (SBC), that provides the interworking between IPv4 and IPv6 networks and devices.

IPv4 vs. IPv6: Whats the Difference?

Feature
History Addressing system Total # of IP addresses Network layer security Packet size Packet header processing QoS support Multicasting support Stateless address autoconfiguration Jumbograms

IPv4
Created by IETF in 1981 32-bit Over 4 billion IPsec optional 576 bytes Fast No Limited No No

IPv6
Created by IETF in 1996 128-bit Over 300 billion, billion, billion, billion! IPsec required 1,280 bytes Faster Yes Robust Yes Yes

From IPv4 to IPv6: A Managed Migration

As the number of IPv6-based devices multiplies, network operators will need to have an IPv4-IPv6 interworking strategy in place. For some, that might consist of parallel IPv4 and IPv6 networks that communicate through an SBC-based peering interconnect/interworking solution. For others, the solution may be a blended network that runs IPv4 and IPv6 protocol stacks concurrently, known as a dual-stack implementation. The best solution is one that offers flexibility, scalability and reliable performance, since service providers especially cant afford to compromise their Quality of Service because of IP interworking issues. Sonus Networks IPv6 transition strategy offers service providers and enterprises a multi-tiered approach to IPv4/IPv6 interworking. We think of it as three pillars that, together, support IPv4 and IPv6 communications at a practical and strategic level:
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Dual-stack IPv4/IPv6 support across all of our products IPv4/IPv6 interoperability via Sonus Session Border Controllers Live, incremental transition to IPv6 via simple software upgrades

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Dual-Stack Support
All Sonus products feature dual-stack support, which means they can communicate in both IPv4 and IPv6, choosing the appropriate protocol based on an endpoints IP address. For example, a SIP proxy server routing a SIP session request from an IPv6 smartphone to an IPv4 server in another network would speak IPv6 to the smartphone and IPv4 to the server. Products with dual-stack support can operate in both IPv4 and IPv6 networks.
UDP

Applications
TCP SCTP

IPv4

IPv6

Link Layer (Ethernet)

SBC-Based Interworking
Because the NBS5200 and NBS9000 SBCs support dual-stack communications, they function exceptionally well as IPv4/IPv6 interworking agents in the network. Acting as a back-to-back user agent for SIP signaling and RTP media at the network border, the NBS products effectively decouple the IP protocol for each leg of the SIP session so that IPv4 and IPv6 networks and devices can seamlessly communicate with each other. Sonus SBCs support a variety of interworking scenarios:
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Multimedia Session RTP (v6) SIP (v6)

Back-to-back UA

RTP (v4) SIP (v4)

IPv4 and IPv6 signaling in the same call IPv4 and IPv6 media in the same call IPv4 signaling and IPv6 media (or the reverse) on a particular leg IPv4 addresses within SIP and SDP, delivered in IPv6 packets (or the reverse)

IPv6-only devices

IPv6 IPv6 IPv6

Sonus NBS
IPv4

A Live, Incremental Transition to IPv6

Sonus products are designed to provide a painless transition to IPv6 by allowing network operators to quickly turn on IPv6 capabilities through a live software upgrade. This requires no hardware re-congurations or re-provisioning of existing Sonus equipment. For example, network operators can choose to activate IPv6 on the network interfaces of an existing Sonus NBS device and/or add IPv6 peer addresses to their existing IP Trunk Groups for simple, seamless network management. With Sonus products, IPv4 and IPv6 services can run on the same device interfaces at the same time with the same service abstractions. Also, all Sonus products support migration of individual interfaces from IPV4 to IPV6 independently, giving network operators complete flexibility in their migration. Now that you know more about IPv6 and what it means for your network, why not learn more about how Sonus Networks can help you get there quickly and easily. Contact your Sonus sales representative for more information on our IPv6 solutions or send us an e-mail at sales@sonusnet.com.

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The content in this document is for informational purposes only and is subject to change by Sonus Networks without notice. While reasonable efforts have been made in the preparation of this publication to assure its accuracy, Sonus Networks assumes no liability resulting from technical or editorial errors or omissions, or for any damages resulting from the use of this information. Unless specically included in a written agreement with Sonus Networks, Sonus Networks has no obligation to develop or deliver any future release or upgrade or any feature, enhancement or function. Copyright 2011 Sonus Networks, Inc. All rights reserved. Sonus is a registered trademark and NBS5200 and NBS9000 are trademarks of Sonus Networks, Inc. All other trademarks, service marks, registered trademarks or registered service marks may be the property of their respective owners. Printed in the USA 06/11 SB-1148