IPv6 Migration Planning with Men & Mice Suite

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Introduction......................................................................................................................................... 4 Knowing the Network ......................................................................................................................... 4 Preparing for IPv6 ............................................................................................................................... 5 Divide and Conquer............................................................................................................................ 6 Propagating the Results ...................................................................................................................... 7 Migrating Networks............................................................................................................................. 8 Men & Mice Suite.............................................................................................................................. 10 Resources........................................................................................................................................... 12 IPv6 Literature ................................................................................................................................... 12 Contact Men & Mice ......................................................................................................................... 13

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Introduction
In 2008, approximately 150 million IPv4 addresses were assigned: only 13% of the IPv4 address space globally remains free and available. The Internet is running out of IPv4 addresses, and while IPv6 adoption continued slow and steady growth in 2008, still only 4% of the Internet supports IPv6. IPv6 adoption has been slow in the corporate world, despite the benefits of the new IP protocol. Migration from IPv4 to IPv6 does not mean replacing IPv4 with IPv6 but, instead, enabling IPv6 in addition to IPv4. This allows network-administrators to start benefiting from this new protocol. One of the challenges involved for the network administrator in migrating to IPv6 is quantifying the effort and costs of an IPv6 migration, as well as planning how to approach the task. Migration over to IPv6 is not simple, and requires a solid and transparent process. However, with proper IP Address Management (IPAM) tools, and information on the existing IPv4 infrastructure, the effort becomes manageable. This whitepaper shows how the Men & Mice Suite IPAM Module can be used to achieve a better understanding of the work involved for an IPv6 migration, making the process more transparent for network managers and providing a tool to aid in the transition process.

Knowing the Network

In order to start the planning process, network managers need to know the number and types of devices in their networks. They need to know the number of IPv4 addresses in use, as well as which devices are and are not IPv6 compatible. In many organizations, this information is kept in separate data formats in different applications (spreadsheets, databases, inventory management systems). As a result, these disparate systems are not sufficient to give the network administrators an overview of the IPv6 readiness of their network. The Men & Mice Suite is a proven IP Address Management System that supports both IPv4 and IPv6 networks. In addition to the network topology and the individual IP Addresses, any amount of metadata (called Properties or Custom Fields) can be stored along with networks and IP Addresses. Property fields can be linked with external data sources (like databases or inventory systems) to merge important data into one unified view of the network.

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Preparing for IPv6

The Men & Mice IPAM Module is used to obtain an overview of the existing IPv4 network. The System automatically shows all IP addresses it can find in DNS zones (A and AAAA records) and DHCP scopes. Statically managed IP addresses can be imported from external data sources - such as databases or spreadsheets - and the network discovery feature (ICMP probe) of the IPAM Module finds IP addresses that are in use, but not documented anywhere. When planning a migration to IPv6, we need to know the state of each network segment with regard to IPv6 compliance. For that purpose, it is recommended the user create a custom field (property) in the Men & Mice Suite called, IPv6 Test Status for both IP ranges (network segments) and devices (IP addresses). This field should be able to contain a value from a predefined list. IPv6 test pending: The device or network has not been tested for IPv6 compliance so far. This should be the default value for this field. Not IPv6 compliant: The device/network is not IPv6 compliant; devices need to be replaced with new equipment. In modern networks, this condition should be rare. Partly IPv6 compliant: The device/network is not IPv6 compliant, but can be made compliant with an upgrade of hardware or software. Fully IPv6 compliant: The device/network is fully IPv6 compliant, but not configured for IPv6. Ready for IPv6 migration: The device/network is fully IPv6 compliant and fully configured for an IPv6 migration.

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Figure 1: Defining Properties

Divide and Conquer

The Men & Mice Suite has a finely grained, role-based access control system. Access can be easily granted and controlled for specific users and groups for a specific network as well as device objects. A user only sees objects to which he or she has access. Write access can be restricted to the properties of a network or device. The manager of an IPv6 migration project can delegate the task of IPv6 compliance checking to local network administrators. These local administrators can then check their network equipments and devices, and update the IPv6 status fields in the Men & Mice IP Address Management Module accordingly. Each network manager can work asynchronously on the task - as time permits.

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Propagating the Results

Using the External Commands feature of the Men & Mice Suite, a script1 is called each time the IPv6 Status property value of an IP range or device changes. The script compares the status of this field for all devices in a range and all IP ranges in a given network. The IPv6 Status value of an IP range changes according to the corresponding value for its devices. Changes propagate up the hierarchy in the Men & Mice IPAM Module. The status of the compliance testing efforts can be seen in a central console application.

The IP Range Status will be propagated upwards the tree

Figure 2: IPv6 test and migration status in the hierarchy

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Migrating Networks
Similar to the field, IPv6 test status, another property field for IP ranges and devices is created called, IPv6 migration status. Possible values are: Migration pending Partially migrated (only for IP ranges, not for devices) Fully IPv6-enabled

Networks can be migrated individually. Migration here does not mean replacing IPv4 with IPv6, but rather enabling IPv6 in addition to IPv4. IPv6 will - in most cases - be enabled in the network backbone. From there it can spread outward to perimeter networks. It is also possible to enable IPv6 on the perimeter and tunnel the IPv6 traffic over IPv4 networks using transition technologies such as ISATAP, 6to4, or Teredo. Similar to the testing phase, the migration efforts can be performed asynchronously, leaving the local administrators in control over the speed of the migration, while still allowing for a global overview of the migration progress.

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Figure 3: IPv6 Status for Devices The script used with the External Commands feature keeps track of the values in the property field, IPv6 migration status, and propagates the status up the hierarchical tree of the network.

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Men & Mice Suite

The Men & Mice approach solves the problems of IP address management by complementing existing servers with a sophisticated and non-intrusive management layer. This leverages an organizations investment in existing infrastructure. There are typically no radical changes to the organizations preexisting network. The Men & Mice Suite allows centralized management of DNS, DHCP, and IP addresses. This allows integration of all IP address management functionality into a single unified interface, and all IP address data into a single centralized database. The Men & Mice Suite works with heterogeneous environments and supports Microsoft and Unix/Linux environments (or a mixture thereof) as well as Cisco Router DHCP servers. The Men & Mice Suite provides administrators with tools for daily management, automating common processes, planning, reporting, and auditing.

Figure 4: Overview of the Men & Mice Suite

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The integrated, unified approach of the Men & Mice Suite makes it easy to work with multiple DNS and DHCP servers. Administrators, even in a diverse and geographically dispersed environment, have a unique, real-time overview of the network, enabling consistent IP address management and eliminating duplication in network administration. The Men & Mice Suite contains the following application modules: DNS Management Module DHCP Management Module IP Address Management Module DNS Analyzing and Monitoring

It is possible to implement one or more of the individual Men & Mice modules, but the real value of the Men & Mice Suite is realized as a powerful, integrated solution for DNS, DHCP and IP Address Management. Working together, the modules provide a unique management solution that enables organizations to keep track of their IP address space, individual hosts on the network, and their associations in DNS and DHCP.

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Resources
IPv6 Migration Planning with Men & Mice Screen cast : http://menandmice.com/screencast

IPv6 Literature
Davies, Joseph (2008). Understanding IPv6 (2nd Edition). Microsoft Press. ISBN-10: 0735624461, ISBN-13: 978-0735624467 Dunmore, Martin (2005). IPv6 Development Guide. Retrieved from http://www.6net.org/book/deployment-guide.pdf Hagen, Silvia (2006). IPv6 Essentials (2nd Edition). OReilly Media, Inc. ISBN-10: 0596100582, ISBN13: 978-0596100582 Hogg, Scott and Vyncke, Eric (2008). IPv6 Security (1st Edition). Cisco Press. ISBN-10: 1587055945, ISBN-13: 978-1587055942 Malone, David and Murphy, Niall Richard (2005). IPv6 Network Administration. OReilly Media, Inc. ISBN-10: 0596009348, ISBN-13: 978-0596009342 Siil, Karl A. (2008). IPv6 Mandates: Choosing a Transition Strategy, Preparing Transition Plans, and Executing the Migration of a Network to IPv6. Wiley. ISBN-10: 0470191198, ISBN-13: 9780470191194 Stockebrand, Benedikt (2006). IPv6 in Practice: A Unixers Guide to the Next Generation Internet. Springer. ISBN-10: 3540245243, ISBN-13: 978-3540245247 Van Beijnum, Iljitsch (2005). Running IPv6 (1st Edition). Apress. ISBN-10: 1590595270, ISBN-13: 9781590595275

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Contact Men & Mice

For assistance on IPv6 migration planning and execution, please contact: consulting@menandmice.com For a license of the Men & Mice Suite to be used for IPv6 migration only, please contact: sales@menandmice.com

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