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The statement in the tech base article is somewhat simplistic, and perhaps inaccurate, but suffices for its primary audience, which is the general user (students, in particular). Until we enable IPv6 on the campus network, the computer systems using IPv6 seek to do their own networking among themselves. The one primary issue that we identified, and prompted us to recommend disabling IPv6, comes from a feature of at least the Windows implementation, where one of the computer systems on the local network will become a DNS relay between IPv6 and IPv4. If the computer which elects itself for this function happens not to be registered at the time, then it starts handing out DNS answers which direct all traffic to the DHCP registration pages, even for computers which are already registered. So we do want to make progress on at least enabling IPv6 where we can, so that our central network systems will take over the responsibility for directing IPv6 traffic where it needs to go, and providing appropriate DNS and DHCP responses for those systems. I hope to begin work soon on identifying a more complete list of issues, discussion points, etc., for deploying IPv6 at MSU. Once we take an initial crack at this internally, we will be looking for interested parties across campus to join the discussion, and help us shape a statement of direction, action plan, and so on. Doug On Thu, Jan 27, 2011 at 10:24:24AM -0500, David McFarlane wrote: > At 1/27/2011 10:15 AM Thursday, John Gorentz wrote: > >At 10:00 AM 1/27/2011, David McFarlane wrote: > >>I have been hearing scary stories about IPv4 addresses running out > >>later this year. Which gets me wondering, is MSU doing anything to > >>prepare for this, or need we do anything? Thanks. > >> > >>-- dkm > > > >This is more for your amusement than your enlightenment, but maybe > >ten years ago there was an article in one of the well-known trade > >magazines that listed Michigan State University as one of a handful > >of institutions that were hogging a lot more IP addresses than they > >needed. Doug Nelson may have turned some of the excess over to > >MERIT. (I'm not sure where I got that idea, though. It might have > >come from the voices in my head.) > > > >Doesn't make the issue go away, of course. > > > >John Gorentz > > Thanks. Hmm, decided to do a bit of my own homework, went to > www.msu.edu and searched for "ipv6", which came up with a link to > "IPv6 and the MSU Network - TB10982" > (http://techbase.msu.edu/article.asp?id=10982&service= ), which says, > "IPv6 is INCOMPATIBLE with our network at this time and therefore > MUST be disabled on user computers". Don't know how old that article > is though, or if it still applies, or what it means for the future. > > -- dkm -- Doug Nelson, Network Architect | [log in to unmask] Academic Technology Services | Ph: (517) 353-2980 Michigan State University | http://www.msu.edu/~nelson/