IPv6 in 2017   
                   By Michiel van der Vlist, 2:280/5555   
      
      
   Another year has passed. When we compare the statistics as published   
   by the end of 2016 with those of today, we see that IPv6 in Fidonet   
   has grown again. From 51 to 64 nodes.   
      
      
        -|                                               .   
         |  N   
     60 _|   
         |   
        _|   
         |                                         .   
     50 _|   
         |   
        _|   
         |   
     40 _|                                   .   
         |   
        _|   
         |   
     30 _|   
         |   
        _|                             .   
         |   
     20 _|   
         |   
        _|   
         |   
     10 _|                       .   
         |   
        _|                 .   
         |           .   
      0 _|________._______________________________________   
         |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |   
        2010  2011  2012  2013  2014  2015  2016  2017  2018   
      
      
   The exponential growth in the first five years however did not   
   continue. Until the end of 2015, the number almost doubled every   
   year. In 2016 we had a mere net increase of 12 nodes. I say "net"   
   because in 2016, not only did we see new IPv6 nodes, we also saw   
   nodes disappear from the list. Three stopped supporting IPv6, two   
   left Fidonet altogether. This trend continued in 2017. Another net   
   increase of 13 nodes, one more than last year. So we now have steady   
   growth.   
      
   A trend we do not really see continue is the move towards native   
   IPv6. In last year's list we saw 33 nodes with native IPv6 and 18   
   nodes that used a tunnel. In today's list we see 42 nodes with   
   native IPv6 and 22 using a tunnel. The ratio remains at about 2/3   
   native, 1/3 tunnel. This is not what I expected and goes against the   
   general trend on the InterNet that native IPv6 is slowly gaining   
   foot and replacing transition mechanisms such as tunnels. Maybe what   
   we are seeing is that the Fidonet Pioneer Spirit is still here and   
   that sysops do not want to wait for providers to support native IPv6   
   and take things in their own hands by setting up tunnels.   
      
   Speaking about tunnels, 2017 was the year that major tunnel provider   
   SixXs closed shop. It did not come as a surprise, at the end of 2016   
   I already wrote that the  main driving force Jeroen Massar showed   
   signs of fatigue and that I would not be surprised if SixXs were to   
   close down in the not too distant future. That prediction came true.   
   SixXs closed down on 2017-06-06. Thank you Jeroen, thank you Pim for   
   fifteen years of a valuable free service.   
      
   The impact of SixXs' sunset on Fidonet was minimal. In Jan 2017 there   
   were just two systems left that used a SixXs tunnel. There had been   
   more in the past but they either got native IPv6 or they had already   
   taken their data elsewhere. Those two eventually moved to he.net and   
   so the impact on Fidonet was minimal.   
      
   He.net shows no signs of preparing to close their free tunnel service   
   any time soon. But nothing lasts forever, so let us continue to ask   
   our providers for native IPv6.   
      
   What we did not see in 2016 and still have not seen in 2017 either   
   is the coming of systems that no longer have a public IPv4 address   
   because their provider converted them to a DS-Lite connection. The   
   exhaustion of the IPv4 address space not only makes IPv6 unavoidable,   
   it also makes it unavoidable that at least part of the internet   
   community will have to make do with a DS-Lite connection and so no   
   longer has a public IPv4 address. The trend that providers, mostly   
   in Europe and Australasia, are switching to DS-lite continues. Some   
   providers only put new customers on DS-Lite and allow existing   
   customers to keep their public IPv4 address, others are move existing   
   customers to DS-Lite as well. It has not affected Fidonet yet, but I   
   expect that to be a metter of time. DS-Lite is unavoidable and it   
   will affect Fidonet. If not next year, then surely in the years to   
   come.   
      
   To be prepaired I did a series of test the past year to see if   
   running a Fidonet node from a DS-Lite connection was doable. The   
   conclusion was that it certainly is doable, with or without the help   
   of a third party offering an IPv4 to IPv6 port proxy service like   
   https://www.feste-ip.net/?ref=18105   
      
   The tests are document in Fidonews 34:20 of May 2017, 34:31 of July   
   2017, 34:33 and 34:38 of August 2017.   
      
   Fidonet will survive the exhaustion of IPv4 addresses. But only for   
   those that move to IPv6. Unfortunately like in the Big Bad World   
   there are people that are in denial regarding global warming, there   
   is a non negligible fraction of Fidonet sysops that are in denial   
   regarding IPv6. They seem to think that it is just a conspiracy to   
   extract more money from the cutomers, a hoax or a hype that will blow   
   over.   
      
   Well, it ain't. IPv4 address exhaustion is real and IPv6 is   
   unavoidable. Those that remain in denial will eventually be left   
   behind. It may take a while, maybe another decade, but running a   
   Fidonet node on an IPv4 only connection will eventually lead to   
   isolation. IPv6 is a must, not an option.   
      
      
   Happy IPv6 in 2018.   
      
      
      
   --- GoldED+/W32-MSVC 1.1.5-b20170303   
    * Origin: he.net certified sage (2:280/5555)