IPv6 Documentation Address Policy

1. IPv6 DocumentationAddress Policy APNIC Policy SIG Meeting Kitakyushu, September 2002 Philip Smith <pfs@cisco.com>

2. The Problem • No IPv6 address space which can be used for documentation • APNIC has no criteria for allocating IPv6 address space for documentation

3. Background • Documentation authors are using Internet Resources from a variety of sources: • RFC1918 IPv4 space and private ASNs • From their employer’s blocks • From well known ISPs • Easy to remember values for IPv4 addresses and ASNs • Unassigned/unallocated resources at the time of writing (e.g. network 222/8 or ASN > 32000)

4. Background – Problems • Apart from private IPv4 and ASN space, all other address ranges conflict with existing or future assignments on the commercial Internet • “cut-and-paste” testing of documentation examples • “cluelessness” • Commercial impact on operational networks – $$$ • May be seen as DOS attack

5. Current Status • IPv4 addresses • RFC1918 address used • Not ideal, but most ISPs filter private addresses • ASNs • Private ASNs used • Not ideal, but more ISPs are now filtering private ASNs • IPv6 addresses • Nothing available • Address space is either reserved or allocated

6. Proposal • The RIRs set aside a block of IPv6 address space exclusively for the purposes of documentation

7. Detail One • Address space allocated for documentation purposes • Should be same size as RIR minimum allocation • This is so that documentation examples can match real life

8. Detail Two • Address space allocated for documentation purposes • Should come from global unicast address space • Use of site local or link local makes no sense – it is different from global unicast address space

9. Advantages • Documentation authors no longer have to use IPv6 address space of their employers, or of other Internet entities, for worked examples in published works • No more possible risk to the commercial Internet

10. Disadvantages • An IPv6 netblock will be added to the list of non-routable IPv6 address space • Most ISPs filter IPv6 address space anyhow, so this is only one extra network • Some people might think that this is private IPv6 space – it is not

11. Implementation • APNIC should implement this policy three months after consensus has been reached • All supporting docs will be updated before this date • Community will be informed before this date

12. Questions?