Re: [v6ops] Why should IP networks be different? [DHCP Option 108 Issue with Mac and iOS devices]

[Ivan Pepelnjak <[e-mail]>]

Thanks a million for the great summary Nick! While I agree with most of what you wrote, you got into a Catch-22 situation:

> Folks see a need for tracking a device to a user with IPv6. - I get
> this, I hear the same thing frequently. The commentary slides around
> from a simple need to associate a hardware address with a layer 3
> address to a full on mapping of user to device with a strong
> preference by some to simply mimic what IPv4 does up to and including
> state synchronization and redundancy of operations.
> Personally, I don't think it is realistic to assume that we should
> simply replicate something that exists already. We should aim for
> whatever it is to be better and to address any shortcomings. I am very
> excited about draft-ietf-dhc-addr-notification and prefix-per-device
> as a solution set for most of what is discussed here.

Let me point out that "prefix-per-device” is even worse (from the supporting infrastructure’s perspective) than a mechanism we already have (DHCPv6 IA_NA). Not only is the state tracked on the DHCPv6 server, but it also needs to be tracked on the first-hop router (a route for the delegated prefix), and potentially redistributed into the rest of the network. I’m obviously assuming the sane scenario, not devices that grab dozens of IPv6 addresses just because that was convenient to whoever didn’t want to write a bit of an orchestration code to support the in-device networking.

Maybe we should stop pretending that additional layers of abstraction will solve the problem, and address the elephant in the room — continuous denial of enterprise reality by a single OS vendor.

Note to everyone else (because I’m sure Nick gets that): please don’t tell me how devices with 8K of RAM and 8-bit CPUs running at 4 MHz cannot do DHCPv6. Everyone gets that, and nobody in their right might would connect those devices to the same network as everything else as they probably contain a gazillion other shortcuts (like burned-in admin passwords).

On a more positive note, wish you a happy IPv6-enabled 2024!
Ivan