Abstract:

The introduction of the IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version 6) protocol was carried out hesitantly in Austrian organizations for many years. But lately, a growing number of Austrian companies and organizations are planning or starting a migration to a dual-stack IPv4 / IPv6 network. As a consequence, many IT jobs require a deeper understanding of IPv6 technology. Students in the field of ICT (information and communication technology) must be prepared with knowledge in this area.

A rich set of experiences from successful implementations in the networks of different companies and organizations is available now. In order to collect this domain-specific knowledge systematically and make it available in an appropriate form for technology students, concepts, strategies and tools for designing IPv6 networks and migrating from IPv4 to IPv6 were collected and transformed into a “didactical toolbox”.

In this paper, we present the most important results from this project in form of the “IPv6 net:force! Toolbox”. The main technology topics are IPv6 readiness, network and subnetwork design and specifics of dual-stack networks. The contents of these areas are based on recommendations and best practices of the relevant organizations such as the IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force), RIPE NCC (RIPE Network Coordination Centre) and BSI (Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Infomationstechnik), and industry leaders (Cisco, Microsoft, Solarwinds…).

IPv6 readiness includes testing all network components for their support of IPv6. A very important prerequisite to any IPv6 migration is the network personnel’s knowhow about the new possibilities and chances for not only implementing everything “in the same way” as with IPv4 before, but enhancing/developing a modern subnet structure, security concept, using automation possibilities etc. when migrating to IPv6. In this scenario the “IPv6 net:force! Toolbox” can be used for professional training and practicing as well.

Additionally the evaluation of IP address management software is included, all tested tools performed sufficiently in IPv4 examples but did not meet a number of requirements for IPv6 networks.

Based on this collection, example scenarios are presented which are used to demonstrate many of the important new concepts and possibilities. These scenarios are implemented in a network simulator and with these simulation scenarios we could verify the correctness and suitability of the proposed methods. The simulation scenarios now build the core of the didactical toolbox. Students can use the concept and best practice summaries and descriptions e.g. during teacher-guided or self-study learning activities. Especially for lab-oriented or problem based learning courses there are benefits when the low-overhead and easy to use “IPv6 net:force! Toolbox” simulation scenarios are available.

Using the “IPv6 net:force! Toolbox” in a number of courses in one of the largest universities of applied sciences in Austria, it was possible for students to work in “hands-on” lab sessions with the simulation scenarios. The students learn to understand important IPv6 design benefits and handle new challenges when practicing the correct configuration of network components - especially routers and firewalls - and try out different configurations in a realistic manner without the overhead of a complex real test network.

Keywords:

Didactical toolbox, internet technology, network design, IPv6 migration.