15 February 2011
- IDA has released the
Singapore Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) Profile
which is aimed at assisting public agencies, enterprises, residential users and network providers in their procurement of IPv6-ready products and services.
Using the United States Government IPv6 (USGv6) Profile as reference, the Singapore IPv6 Profile provides an unambiguous, common working language for identifying IPv6 capabilities based on the Internet Engineering Task Force's Request for Comments (IETF RFC). It defines the basic IPv6 configuration options for a specific procurement to help ensure a smooth IPv6 deployment. This will assist Singapore government agencies, enterprises and network providers in the development of specific acquisition and deployment plans.
IPv6 Functional Categories
In the profile, IPv6 capabilities are grouped into the following categories: IPv6 basic capabilities, addressing, IP security, application requirements, routing protocols, transition mechanisms, network management, multicasting, mobility, quality of service, network protection devices and link-specific requirements that spell out the technical specifications for different link layer technologies.
The relevant IETF RFCs for each category are listed together with the corresponding IPv6 requirements covering three types of devices - hosts, routers and network protection devices. These requirements may be mandatory, recommended, optional or conditional.
To cater for the co-existence and interoperability of IPv6 with existing IPv4 infrastructure, the Singapore IPv6 Profile also includes IETF specifications that address deployment issues and transition scenarios for enterprises and Internet service providers.
Making Use of the Reference Specifications
The profile provides a useful guide for public agencies and enterprises who can refer to the requirements listed when developing their tender specifications for the procurement of new infrastructure, or when conducting a network audit on their existing systems.
Likewise, network providers may refer to the list requirements for their own Infocomm procurements or audit checks, or they may want to find out more about the requirements for government agencies and enterprises if they are planning to offer end-to -end managed services in those market segments.
As for vendors, the mandatory specifications captured in the Profile may be interpreted as the minimal requirements they need to meet to assure customers of IPv6 readiness.
The Profile is a living document which will be reviewed and revised to keep the requirement specifications up to date based on feedback from industries and government agencies.