What is the 6bone and how do I connect to it?
The 6bone is described in detail at
http://www.6bone.net/ .We have included some of the information from that site below.
The 6bone is an IPv6 testbed that is an outgrowth of the IETF IPng project that created the IPv6 protocols intended to eventually replace the current Internet network layer protocols known as IPv4.
The 6bone is currently a world wide informal collaborative project, informally operated with oversight from the "NGtrans" (IPv6 Transition) Working Group of the IETF.
The 6bone started as a virtual network (using IPv6 over IPv4 tunneling/encapsulation) operating over the IPv4-based Internet to support IPv6 transport, and is slowly migrating to native links for IPv6 transport.
The initial 6bone focus was on testing of standards and implementations, while the current focus is more on testing of transition and operational procedures. The 6bone operates under the IPv6 Testing Address Allocation (see RFC2471).
To join your IPv6 network to the 6bone, see the information on http://www.6bone.net/
How can I connect my existing workstation (without disturbing our entire LAN)?
To join a single workstation, the easiest way is via Freenet6 by ViagÈnie at
http://www.freenet6.net/ .
The Freenet6 server delivers IPv6 connectivity for end stations using IPv6 over IPv4 tunnels. Computers connected to Internet can use this free service to get connected on the 6bone.
To use Freenet6 you need a computer with a dual IPv4/IPv6 stack and with Internet access. The Freenet6 server will generate a configuration for you to download for your specific operating system. Your IPv6 packets will be encapsulated in IPv4 packets and sent over the Internet to the Freenet6 server.
We installed Freenet6 on this Windows NT system in a matter of minutes.
First we installed the IPv6 stack from Microsoft Research ( available from their web site at
http://www.research.microsoft.com/msripv6/ ). There is no configuration to do. Then we visited http://www.freenet6.net/ and entered our IPv4 address. Freenet6 generated a batch file which we executed and we were on the 6bone!It was really that easy.
Check out our IPv6 Windows NT system. In a command window you might want to try an IPv6 ping:
C:\> ping6 www.6bone.net
You can view the routing tables with
C:\> ipv6 rt
Note that these are separate commands from the regular networking commands because this is an add-on package to support IPv6. Try a
C:\> ping www.6bone.net
instead and see the difference. We expect most vendors to incorporate IPv6 support directly into the standard networking utilities in their released products. These special commands are only an interim solution.
What does the 6Bone look like?