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A. There is an IPv6 prototype available for Solaris 7 FCS. The prototype is structured as an add-on to Solaris 7 FCS. You can download this prototype version from
http://playground.sun.com/pub/solaris2-ipv6/html/solaris2-ipv6.html
There are no plans for an IPv6 prototype for SolarisTM 2.6.
Q. What about IPsec for IPv6?
A. IPsec will be bundled with IPv6 in a future Solaris release.
Q. What are the benefits of IPv6 aside from making more
addresses available?
A. IPv6 is the new IP protocol designed to replace IPv4. As such it improves IP in a number of different ways, including making it easier to use through autoconfiguration. With built-in security, hosts are able to authenticate each other and encrypt packets end-to-end without affecting the application. Also, IPv6 has better support for multihoming and makes renumbering your network easier.
Q. Will a Beta or early access program be available for IPv6? When and how can I participate?
A. A program is under consideration. Details will be posted on this site upon development.
Q. Does Sun participate in the IETF working groups on
IPv6?
A. Yes, Sun has been participating in these groups since inception.
Q. How can I connect to the 6bone?
A. Check out the http://www.6bone.net/ web site for details on how to connect to the 6bone.
Q. How is Sun connected to the 6bone?
A. Sun has two systems in Menlo Park, CA which connect to the 6bone. Solaris connections to the 6bone have been installed since 1995.
Q. Are there any public interoperability tests for IPv6?
A. We will be at UNH for the interoperability tests this year. We are always interested to hear from other IPv6 vendors to do one off testing.
Q. When will IPv6 be the primary protocol in the major backbones and exchange points? (and why then?)
IPv6 still has a way to go before it will be the primary protocol in the Internet. While the standards are finalized and vendors are offering IPv6 in their products, that is not sufficient for deployment. Motivations for moving to IPv6 include
Q. What is the most important lesson learned from 6bone?
The 6bone today can be considered analogous to the Arpanet in the 60s. Arpanet was a testbed for new ideas and technologies in its beginnings. Similarly, the 6bone gives users and providers a safe environment to learn about IPv6.
Q. What is the most important issue to be dealt with before businesses will upgrade their intranets to IPv6?
Assumption: IPv6 is available for all servers, clients/desktops, and network elements.
Businesses typically change infrastructure for a few reasons.
The investment in both time and money to train personnel and to upgrade infrastructure needs to be offset by compelling business justifications.
Transition plans are always important when migrating to a new technology, and the IETF has developed plans which will help customers. Vendors also will have transition strategies that they will offer their customers. In addition, built into IPv6 are features like autoconfiguration that will make configuring and installing IPv6 much easier for customers. And over the next few years, an application based on IPv6 is sure to be developed and implemented.