RFC 3068 (rfc3068) - Page 1 of 9

An Anycast Prefix for 6to4 Relay Routers

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Network Working Group                                         C. Huitema
Request for Comments: 3068                                     Microsoft
Category: Standards Track                                      June 2001


                An Anycast Prefix for 6to4 Relay Routers

Status of this Memo

   This document specifies an Internet standards track protocol for the
   Internet community, and requests discussion and suggestions for
   improvements.  Please refer to the current edition of the "Internet
   Official Protocol Standards" (STD 1) for the standardization state
   and status of this protocol.  Distribution of this memo is unlimited.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2001).  All Rights Reserved.

Abstract

   This memo introduces a "6to4 anycast address" in order to simplify
   the configuration of 6to4 routers.  It also defines how this address
   will be used by 6to4 relay routers, how the corresponding "6to4
   anycast prefix" will be advertised in the IGP and in the EGP.  The
   memo documents the reservation by IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers
   Authority) of the "6to4 relay anycast prefix."

1 Introduction

   According to [RFC 3056], there are two deployment options for a 6to4
   routing domain, depending on whether or not the domain is using an
   IPv6 exterior routing protocol.  If a routing protocol is used, then
   the 6to4 routers acquire routes to all existing IPv6 networks through
   the combination of EGP and IGP.  If no IPv6 exterior routing protocol
   is used, the 6to4 routers using a given relay router each have a
   default IPv6 route pointing to the relay router.  This second case is
   typically used by small networks; for these networks, finding and
   configuring the default route is in practice a significant hurdle.
   In addition, even when the managers of these networks find an
   available route, this route often points to a router on the other
   side of the Internet, leading to very poor performance.

   The operation of 6to4 routers requires either that the routers
   participate in IPv6 inter-domain routing, or that the routers be
   provisioned with a default route.  This memo proposes a standard
   method to define the default route.  It introduces the IANA assigned
   "6to4 Relay anycast prefix" from which 6to4 packets will be



Huitema                     Standards Track
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