6BONE AUP

[Bob Fink]

Perry, Jim, Craig, Tony et al,

This will be a bit long winded, but hopefully worth it! 

(For the benefit of the 6bone and ngtrans list folk not on the
deployment@ipv6.org list, my "research and development AUP" comments about
the 6bone have been questioned.)


First, a brief bit of background on the 6bone. The 6bone was created by a
volunteer group of folk "to foster the development testing, and deployment
of IPv6". As some of the participants offerred to host end-site tunnels
and/or carry backbone traffic for those not in their normal user community,
I was sensitive about violating anyone's AUP.

Note that any mention of a research and development AUP was my choice (to
the best of my memory), not that of the early 6bone group (i.e., the ad hoc
meetings held at the IETF) or the current ngtrans group (which now includes
the 6bone activity). I have scanned all the minutes of 6bone meetings held
to date to refresh my memory (I may have passed over something, but doubt it). 


I've also included below the 6bone portion (which I wrote) of the ngtrans
charter:

"4. Coordinate deployment of an IPv6 testbed (known as the 6bone) to assist
in the following: 

- Creation of "practice and experience" informational documents that
capture the experiences of those who have deployed, and are deploying,
various IPv6 technologies. 

- Feedback to various IETF IPv6-related activities, such as the IPng WG,
based on testbed experience, where appropriate. 

- Feedback to various IPv6 product developers, based on testbed experience,
where appropriate. 

- Development of mechanisms and procedures to aid in the transition to
native IPv6, where appropriate. 

- Development of mechanisms and procedures for sharing operational
information to aid in transition and operation of global IPv6 routing."

There is no mention of either a production or non-production disposition,
nor of any specific AUP. It is a testbed that, as the first 6bone meeting's
goal statement said, is "to foster the development testing, and deployment
of IPv6".


I would also note that I have never had anyone (that I can remember) tell
me that my "research and development Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)" mattered
to them. I have had several say that as long as the traffic was low enough
that their own AUPs could accomodate production usage.


Now let's look at RFC 2471, the IPv6 Testing Address Allocation:

1.0 Introduction 

This document describes an allocation plan for IPv6 addresses to be used in
testing IPv6 prototype software. These addresses are temporary and will be
reclaimed in the future. Any IPv6 system using these addresses will have to
renumber at some time in the future. These addresses will not to be
routable in the Internet other than for IPv6 testing.
...

2.0 Address Format

TLA = 0x1FFE = Top-Level Aggregation Identifier 

This is a TLA ID assigned by the IANA for 6bone testing under the auspices
of the IETF IPng Transition Working Group 6bone testbed activity. It is to
be administered by the chair of the 6bone activity (currently Bob Fink
<rlfink@lbl.gov>). The use of this TLA ID is temporary. All users of these
addresses in this TLA ID will be required to renumber at some time in the
future.


Again, no mention is made of any type of AUP. The biggest worry I see here
is that eventually we may have to renumber, and somehow I doubt that this
will be a real problem as long as the 6bone is serving a purpose.


So I conclude that I'm being overly conservative in how I speak of this in
print. IMO, if a 6bone pTLA or pNLA transit is concerned with the nature of
IPv6 6bone traffic they carry, they will take appropriate steps of their
own, and certainly not ones dictated by me.


The conclusion of this is that I will simply remove the mention of a
research and development AUP. In fact it is gone as you read this!

I would also encourage everyone to review any and all of the 6bone pages
and recommend better wording, restructuring etc. We are all in this
together and there are limits to whay one person can do.


Thanks,

Bob