What is IPv6+?

IPv6+ (IPv6 Enhanced) is a set of new technologies based on IPv6 for the 5G and cloud era , including SRv6, network slicing, iFIT, BIER, SRv6 SFC, DetNet and APN6.

The IPv6+ technology set has the characteristics of programmable paths, fast service provisioning, automated operation and maintenance, quality visualization, SLA guarantee and application awareness. It helps the digital transformation of all industries.

Why do we need IPv6+?

The Background of IPv6+ Technology

5G, the Internet of Things, and cloud computing has led to a sharp expansion of network scale, increasing network complexity, more diverse services, and growing demand for intelligence. The network needs to provide a large number of addresses to meet the needs of allocating network addresses to each terminal and each device. With providing a a large number of addresses for the network, IPv6 introduces a variety of extended message headers to enhance flexibility and scalability, which is the basis for realizing the Internet of Everything.

However, with the booming development of new services, it is far from enough to simply realize the Internet of Everything.

• Users require that the network can provide differentiated services for a variety of business types, implement different SLA (Service Level Agreement) guarantees, and provide reliable network services for low-latency businesses.
• Administrators require further reduction of network operation and maintenance costs, provision of automated and intelligent service change and adjustment methods, reduction of service provisioning time, and provision of convenient fault location analysis and troubleshooting methods.

In order to meet new business forms and new demands, a series of IPv6+ technologies have been developed based on IPv6. The application of IPv6+ technology can make the IPv6 network evolve from "usable" to "easy to use".

Development of IPv6+

IPv6+ is a technology system that is constantly developing and evolving . As shown in Figure 1, the development and evolution of the IPv6+ technology system can be preliminarily divided into three stages:

• IPv6+1.0: Provides basic TE, VPN, and FRR capabilities for IPv6 networks through SRv6 technology, and implements network programming capabilities.
• IPv6+2.0: Optimize network performance and ensure user experience through technological innovation. The technological innovations of IPv6+2.0 include but are not limited to G-SRv6, network slicing, iFIT , BIER, SRv6 SFC, DetNet, etc.
• IPv6+3.0: Achieve the goal of application-driven networking and intent-driven networking, and continue to evolve towards highly automated network driving. The key feature at this stage is APN6 (Application-aware IPv6 Networking).

Figure 1 Development of IPv6+

At present, more technical standards and drafts of IPv6+ are being improved and formulated, and related technical solutions are also being continuously improved with the formulation of standards and drafts.

The Advantages of IPv6+ Technology

IPv6+ not only has a huge number of addresses and flexible expansion characteristics of the IPv6 protocol, but also improves the capabilities of IP networks in the following aspects:

• Widely connected: Using technologies such as SRv6, it provides bearer services and differentiated services for various access methods such as wireless and fixed networks, realizes flexible network deployment and traffic scheduling, and ensure user experience.
• Determinism and low-latency: Use network slicing to rationally allocate resources, IPv6+ provides dedicated data channels for services with high latency requirements, and avoids latency caused by congestion and packet loss; uses technologies such as DetNet deterministic networks to provide users with a deterministic network with predictable service quality. Using SRv6 technology could orchestrate the network to achieve reliable and controllable forwarding paths.
• Security: Use IPv6 extension headers to ensure network security, quickly identify security risks, and implement security protection measures, greatly improving network security.
• Intelligent: Utilizing artificial intelligence algorithms, flow detection and other technologies , IPv6+ achieves intelligent operation and maintenance, automatically converts user intent into network configuration requirements, and automatically predict, identify, locate and troubleshoot faults.