The protocols which are the keystone of the Internet must be adapted
to face the explosive growth in numbers of connected machines. The
Internet protocols, a set of rules, conventions and mechanisms that
make it possible for the network to work correctly, are on the
front line. These protocols require in particular that each machine
be allocated an address—its IP address—an indispensable
open sesame prior to all network communication. The IP address is a
number of fixed size, and the number of connected machines is now exceeding
the maximum allocation capacity (slightly more than 4 billion distinct
addresses).
At the present time, the network primarily uses the IPv4 protocol
(Internet Protocol version 4) that was standardized by the IETF,
the Internet protocol standardization body. However,
a new addressing mechanism allowing for a larger number of Internet
addresses is currently being deployed. This mechanism called IPv6 should
soon become the standard used by the new Internet. The first IETF specifications
were published in December 1995.
Very early on, the major French players regrouped within the G6 association
to foster the development and deployment of the new version. The ARMOR team
was very active in it from the beginning. The team gathers together
researchers
from a department of ENST Bretagne specializing in network protocols
and researchers from INRIA Rennes well-known for their competence in
network modeling, test and evaluation.
Preparing the Internet of the future
The team proposed a solution to the addressing problem at the
IETF.
The solution involves a mechanism that can be used temporarily to
solve the lack of IPv4 Internet addresses. Moreover, much of the
team's work concerns the transition from IPv4 to IPv6, via the temporary
allocation of IPv4 addresses only when an application requires them.
This makes it possible to use the new version of the protocol whenever
possible and the old applications can nonetheless benefit
from the advantages of IPv6 (such as mobility, self-configuring).
ARMOR research scientists proposed solution for the protocol itself
and its impact on applications, such as the
DSTM technology (Dual
Stack Transition Mechanism) which was submitted at the
IETF in 1999
to let IPv4 and IPv6 coexist on the same machine. DSTM is in competition
with other solutions. Three implementations have already been effected,
at ENST Bretagne, by the ETRI (Electronics and Telecommunications
Research Institute) in Korea and by Hewlett Packard.
In addition, problems that were not addressed by IPv4, such as router
configuration (routers are the communication nodes of the network),
are likely to take on increasing importance with IPv6, due to the explosion
in numbers of technologies involved, machines connected to the network,
and growing complexity thereof, since the network topology changes
with user mobility. Concretely, if it is now possible to automatically
configure machines, this is not the case for routers, which require
the intervention of a network administrator. The latter has to configure
the various links and routers of the network, and renew the configuration
every time the network topology changes. This problem occurs in particular
on the local scale, when a small company needs to deploy an internal
network, or in the home where various wireless technologies have the
wind in their sails.
In 2002, researchers of projects ARMOR and ARES proposed
a protocol called NAP (No Administration Protocol) at the IETF, for
the self-configuration of IPv6 routers and network. It was the first
proposal on the subject. It did not however attract enough attention
at that time to warrant the creation of a dedicated work group. The
researchers nonetheless continued their work in the framework of research
projects with France Telecom and Alcatel. There is little doubt that
the topic will soon be hot again at the IETF.
Testing the interoperability of new components
In parallel, in order to ensure a reliable deployment of the network,
it is crucial to check that the new IPv6 routers conform to the specifications
already defined by the IETF and are compatible with one another,
even coming from different manufacturers (Cisco, Hewlett Packard,
Samsung,...). To achieve this goal, each new product must be tested
for compatibility with the specifications and interoperability.
This is one of the activities of ARMOR research scientists who have
been developing protocol testing methods for four years in collaboration
with the ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute), the
European standardization body in matters of telecommunications. Comparable
testing processes developed by American and Japanese departments have
been implemented in the United States and in Asia. In order to ensure
an international validation process, called the IPv6 ready logo program,
the different players regrouped last year at the instigation of the
IPv6 Forum, the international organization promoting IPv6. The program
is based on three test sessions a year, successively in Japan, the
United States and Europe, during which all the companies involved in
IPv6 deployment have their components tested. ARMOR was instrumental
in launching this worldwide certification program and is its European
representative. Eight researchers and engineers are working on it today
around César Viho. About a hundred IPv6 components coming mostly
from American (Cisco, Microsoft,...) and Asian companies (Samsung...)
have obtained this certification. In Europe, the first certified companies
are 6wind (FR) and Ericsson (SE).
