Softwires (softwire)

Last Modified: 2011-08-18

Additional information is available at tools.ietf.org/wg/softwire

Chair(s):

Internet Area Director(s):

Internet Area Advisor:

Technical Advisor(s):

Mailing Lists:

General Discussion: softwires@ietf.org
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Archive: http://www.ietf.org/mail-archive/web/softwires/current/maillist.html

Description of Working Group:

  The Softwires Working Group is specifying the standardization of
  discovery, control and encapsulation methods for connecting IPv4
  networks across IPv6 networks and IPv6 networks across IPv4 networks
  in a way that will encourage multiple, inter-operable
  implementations.

  For various reasons, native IPv4 and/or IPv6 transport may not be
  available in all cases, and there is a need to tunnel IPv4 in IPv6
  or IPv6 in IPv4 to cross a part of the network which is not IPv4 or
  IPv6 capable. The Softwires Problem Statement, RFC 4925, identifies
  two distinct topological scenarios that the Working Group will
  provide solutions for: "Hubs and Spokes" and "Mesh." In the former
  case (Hubs and Spokes), hosts or "stub" networks are attached via
  individual, point-to-point, IPv4 over IPv6 or IPv6 over IPv4
  softwires to a centralized Softwire Concentrator. In the latter case
  (Mesh), network islands of one Address Family (IPv4 or IPv6) are
  connected over a network of another Address Family via point to
  multi-point softwires among Address Family Border Routers (AFBRs).

  The Softwires Working Group will reuse existing technologies as much
  as possible and only when necessary, create additional protocol
  building blocks.

  For generality, all base softwires encapsulation mechanisms should
  support all combinations of IP versions over one other (IPv4 over
  IPv6, IPv6 over IPv4, IPv4 over IPv4, IPv6 over IPv6). IPv4/IPv6
  translation mechanisms, new addressing schemes, and block address
  assignments are out of scope. DHCP options developed in this working
  group will be reviewed jointly with the DHC Working Group.  RADIUS
  attributes developed in the Softwires Working Group will be reviewed
  jointly with the RADEXT Working Group.  The MIB Doctors directorate
  will be asked to review any MIB modules developed in the Softwires
  Working Group.  BGP and other routing and signaling protocols
  developed in this group will be reviewed jointly with the proper
  working groups and other workings that may take interest (e.g. IDR,
  L3VPN, PIM, LDP, SAAG, etc).

  The specific work areas for this working group are:

  1. Developments for Mesh softwires topology; the Mesh topology work
    will be reviewed in the L3VPN and IDR Working Groups
    - multicast
    - MIB module

  2. Developments for 6rd:
    - multicast
    - operational specification
    - RADIUS attribute for 6rd server
    - MIB module
    - Gateway-initiated 6rd (GI-6rd)

  3. Developments for Dual-Stack Lite (DS-Lite):
    - multicast
    - operational specification
    - RADIUS attribute for AFTR
    - proxy extensions; GI-DS-Lite; No NAT on AFTR
    - MIB module

  4. Developments for stateless legacy IPv4 carried over IPv6
    - develop a solution motivation document to be published as an
      RFC
    - develop a protocol specification response to the solution
      motivation document; this work item will not be taken through
      Working Group last call until the solution motivation document
      has been published or approved for publication

  5. Finalize discovery and configuration mechanisms for a gateway to
    use DS-Lite or 6rd; these discovery and configuration mechanisms
    must take into a account other operating environments such as
    dual-stack and tunneling mechanisms not defined by the Softwires
    Working Group.  Development of new mechanisms will involve the
    DHC and/or V6OPS Working Groups as appropriate

Other work items would require Working Group approval and rechartering.

Goals and Milestones:

Done  Submit a problem statement to the IESG to be considered as an Informational RFC
Jun 2011  Submit DS-lite RADIUS attribute document for Proposed Standard
Jun 2011  Adopt DS-lite operational document as a Working Group document
Jul 2011  Submit 6rd RADIUS attribute document for Proposed Standard
Jul 2011  Submit GI DS-lite document for Proposed Standard
Jul 2011  Adopt DS-Lite without NAT document as a Working Group document
Jul 2011  Adopt DHCPv4 over tunnel document as a Working Group document
Aug 2011  Adopt 6rd operational document as a Working Group document
Aug 2011  Adopt Multicast extensions document as a Working Group document
Aug 2011  Submit DS-lite operational document for Informational
Aug 2011  Adopt stateless legacy IPv4 solution motivation document as a Working Group document
Sep 2011  Submit DS-Lite without NAT document for Informational
Sep 2011  Submit DHCPv4 over tunnel document for Proposed Standard
Nov 2011  Submit Multicast extensions document for Informational
Nov 2011  Submit 6rd operational document for Informational
Nov 2011  Adopt 6rd MIB module document as a Working Group document
Nov 2011  Adopt DS-lite MIB module document as a Working Group document
Nov 2011  Adopt Mesh topology MIB module document as a Working Group document
Dec 2011  Submit stateless legacy IPv4 solution motivation document for Informational
Dec 2011  Adopt stateless legacy IPv4 specification document as a Working Group document
Apr 2012  Submit stateless legacy IPv4 specification document for Proposed Standard
Nov 2012  Submit 6rd MIB module document for Proposed Standard
Nov 2012  Submit DS-lite MIB module document for Proposed Standard
Nov 2012  Submit Mesh topology MIB module document for Proposed Standard

Internet-Drafts:

Gateway Initiated Dual-Stack Lite Deployment (32800 bytes)
RADIUS Extensions for Dual-Stack Lite (23053 bytes)
RADIUS Attribute for 6rd (21215 bytes)
Public IPv4 over Access IPv6 Network (31408 bytes)
Motivations for Stateless IPv4 over IPv6 Migration Solutions (36408 bytes)
Multicast Extensions to DS-Lite Technique in Broadband Deployments (43980 bytes)
Softwire Mesh Multicast (41920 bytes)
Deployment Considerations for Dual-Stack Lite (32464 bytes)

Request For Comments:

Softwire Problem Statement (RFC 4925) (49299 bytes)
The BGP Encapsulation Subsequent Address Family Identifier (SAFI) and the BGP Tunnel Encapsulation Attribute (RFC 5512) (30554 bytes)
Advertising IPv4 Network Layer Reachability Information with an IPv6 Next Hop (RFC 5549) (23637 bytes)
BGP Traffic Engineering Attribute (RFC 5543) (11883 bytes)
BGP IPsec Tunnel Encapsulation Attribute (RFC 5566) (17416 bytes)
Softwire Mesh Framework (RFC 5565) (75039 bytes)
Softwire Hub and Spoke Deployment Framework with Layer Two Tunneling Protocol Version 2(L2TPv2) (RFC 5571) (91379 bytes)
Softwire Security Analysis and Requirements (RFC 5619) (64657 bytes)
Load Balancing for Mesh Softwires (RFC 5640) (12250 bytes)
IPv6 Rapid Deployment on IPv4 Infrastructures (6rd) -- Protocol Specification (RFC 5969) (45278 bytes)
Dual-Stack Lite Broadband Deployments Following IPv4 Exhaustion (RFC 6333) (65622 bytes)
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol for IPv6 (DHCPv6) Option for Dual-Stack Lite (RFC 6334) (14362 bytes)