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Calls & Context
6NET
Large-scale International IPv6 Pilot Network
Abstract
6NET is Europe's largest IPv6 related Internet research project, and aims to deploy and test IPv6 under realistic conditions. The 31 project partners represent a rich combination of research and industrial organisations. The consortium will provide a native IPv6 network on an international scale, throughout Europe, and to North America and the Asia-Pacific region, for test and demonstration purposes.
The 6NET infrastructure will connect more countries at a higher capacity than any other native IPv6 network deployed to date, initially spanning nine European countries, with links of up to 2.5 Gbps.
Objectives
The main goals of the project are to:
- build and operate a dedicated international IPv6 network, and use this network to validate that the demands for the continuous growth of the global Internet can be met with the new IPv6 technology.
- help European research and industry to play a leading role in defining the next generation of networking and application technologies that go beyond the current state of the art.
Sub-objectives are to:
- provide and operate a combined fixed/mobile IPv6 pilot network, in order to gain a better understanding of IPv6 deployment issues, including physical infrastructure, address allocation, registries, routing and DNS operation.
- operate an international pilot service such that geographically dispersed groups can interwork using native IPv6 facilities.
- study, implement and validate IPv6/IPv4 coexistence, migration techniques and transition tools.
- test state of the art IPv6 applications and access to legacy IPv4 applications and content.
- exploit the synergy between work being performed on IPv6 by manufacturers (such as Cisco, IBM and Sony) with European NRENs and Universities.
The 6NET Network Map
Technical Approach
Once the pan-European network is operational, the 6NET pilot network will be extended to link also North America and the Asia-Pacific region. In parallel with all these activities, management tools will be selected/developed in the project and integrated into the network operation procedures.
The work therefore follows an approach that allows for the incremental integration of new connectivity, network services, applications and management tools into the testbed.
The main items of technical work are focused in these 3 broad areas: infrastructure, network services, and application trials.
The IPv6 infrastructure will initially be based on a central core of European cities and be gradually extended within Europe and to North America and the Asia Pacific region. The extension within Europe entails not only the linking of new core locations, but also the pervasion of IPv6 within the NREN networks, and into many University campus environments. Each phase of this growth will be associated with new network operation and management features, and tests of interoperability.
Similarly, new network services (IPv6 DNS tree, IPv6 multicast, IPv6 mobility, IPv6-only wireless LAN access, VPN, etc.) and transition strategies/tools will be integrated and tested as they are developed. In parallel with all these activities, management tools will be selected/developed in the project and integrated into the network operation procedures.
Finally, the experimentation with applications will begin with IPv6 applications in common use (mail, web, vic, vat, etc.) and lead up to advanced experiments with state of the art IPv6 applications.
Expected Achievements
The main expected result is the provision and operation of a large-scale (intercontinental) combined fixed/mobile IPv6 pilot network, with the associated management functionality. This will bring a better understanding of IPv6 deployment issues, such as the physical infrastructure, and network service issues such as address allocation, registries, routing and DNS operation.
Further achievements will include a study, implementation and validation of IPv6/IPv4 coexistence, migration techniques and transition tools.
State of the art IPv6 applications and access to legacy IPv4 applications and content will be tested. The practical experience gained in deploying emerging technologies in realistic settings will help European research and industry to play a leading role in defining the next generation of networking and application technologies.
Innovation
The innovation of this project extends from the many service support development activities, through to the building and operation (including management) of the network, so that it can be used for the application trials. For example:
- auto-configuration, and the relationship between auto-configuration and User/Terminal management, multihoming, multicast, performance, and roaming.
- support for class-of-service (in the form of a 'Traffic Class' field compliant with the IETF DiffServ model).
- IPSec.
- the development and testing of network services such as DNS, multicast routing, etc
- the design, implementation and test of both intra-domain and inter-domain IPv6 multicast. Interoperability with IPv4 multicast will be examined too.
- interoperability between IPv6 network services and IPv4 network services.
- mobility (wireless-only LANs in an end-site environment, ranging from 802.11b, Bluetooth and 802.11a, through to the convergence of mobile and fixed network technologies.
- new applications that will stress the network and be used to evaluate the benefits to end-users that IPv6 can bring, through the expanded IP addresses, integrated auto- configuration, quality-of-service, mobility and security.
- Project name:
- 6NET
- Contract no:
- IST-2001-32603
- Project type:
- RTD
- Start date:
- 01/01/2002
- Duration:
- 36 months
- Total budget:
- €16,941,983
- Funding from the EC:
- €9,474,697
- Total effort in person-months:
- 1,093.5
- Website:
- http://www.sixnet.org
- Contact person:
- Mr. Theo de Jongh
- email: tdejongh@cisco.com
- tel: +32 475 52 72 61
- fax: +32 2 778 43 00
- Project participants:
- ACOnet - A
- Cisco - B
- CTI - GR
- Dante - UK
- DFN - D
- DTU - DK
- FhG-Fokus - D
- GARR - I
- GRnet - GR
- IBM - F
- INRIA - F
- Invenia - N
- NORDUnet - DK
- NTT-Com - J
- Oulu Poly - FS
- RENATER - F
- Sony - D
- SURFnet - NL
- SWITCH - CH
- TELIN - NL
- TERENA - NL
- UCL - UK
- UKERNA - UK
- ULANC - UK
- ULB B
- ULP F
- Uni OuluFin
- UNINETT - N
- UoS UK
- WWU - D
- Keywords:
- IPv6
- International pilot network
- Network services
- Applications
- Collaboration with other EC funded projects:
- 6LINK
- 6WINIT
- EURO6IX
- GÉANT
- NGN-I
- NGN-LAB