Technical Summary
The Softwires Working Group is specifying the standardization of
discovery, control and encapsulation methods for connecting IPv4
networks across IPv6-only networks and IPv6 networks across IPv4-only
networks in a way that will encourage multiple, inter-operable vendor
implementations. At the highest level, the Softwires Working Group
is tasked to identify, and extend where necessary, standard protocols
to support a selected set of "IPv4/IPv6" and "IPv6/IPv4" transition
problems. This document describes the specific problems ("Hubs and
Spokes" and "Mesh") that will be solved as part of a solution phase
following the completion of this document, within a relatively tight
"time-to-market" as requested by operators at IETF 63. Some
individual requirements (and non-requirements) are also identified in
this document at times in order to better describe the specific scope
for a given problem definition.
Working Group Summary
One of the primary missions of the softwires WG is to define the
problem spaces for which it is going to provide solutions for (one
solution per problem space). The WG held its first Interim meeting
in Sept 2005, and after much discussion narrowed the space down to
problems associated with two general topologies, as defined in
this document. Consensus was solid that these were the problems that
the WG was going to address in its next phase, and this document has
been the basis for that work (which has already advanced considerably).
Protocol Quality
There is no protocol defined here as this is a problem statement
document. The document has been reviewed for the IESG by Mark
Townsley, and softwire WG chairs Alain Durand and David Ward.