Authors: Shannon McFarland, Muninder Sambi, Nikhil Sharma, Sanjay Hooda
IP version 6 is the rave of the networking community today; with the first ever IP version 6 day set for June 8, 2011 ; the “official” depletion of IP version 4 addresses in Winter of 2011 and the increasing number of mandates (US Department of Defence June 9, 2003 memo). The need for a simple, concise, yet largely complete IP v6 design guide is becoming more pressing. IP version 6 for Enterprise Networks by Shannon McFarland and co seeks to fill that niche.
It is not an IP v6 tutorial and should not be used as a reference guide for Internet Protocol, of any version. What it is however, is a well crafted IP v6 design consultant in a book. Organized into twelve chapters of just over 360 pages, the book is a light read, but heavy in design narrative that will help network managers, network architects and network design engineers chart a consistent and holistic framework to fit their specific network environment, and perhaps design a robust, scalable and resilient IP v6 architecture.
The first chapter of the book briefly makes the case for IP v6 and includes a compact comparison of IP v6 and IP v4. Again, this is not a complete analysis of the pros and cons of the two addressing schemes, and the authors are upfront about this not being a top heavy comparison or analysis book. The second chapter introduces some ideas for network design including the Cisco preferred three layer (core, distribution, and access) architecture; a modular network architecture (edge, core, data-center, and services) and a presentation of the key design requirements or guidelines (modularity, hierarchy and resiliency).
Chapter three presents design guidelines for one of the key issue in IP v6 adoption today; co-existence with IP v4. IP v4 networks and hosts still far outrank IP v6, and this is expected to continue for many years to come - even with the rapid growth in the number of IP v6 native devices and systems and an expected explosion in the number of IP v6 only devices as well as the increasing mainstreaming of networked PAN devices and applications including wearable health care sensors, smart homes, networked automobiles etc. While not the final say in co-existence, the chapter provides a good framework for network managers and designers to work from. Chapter four is a lite tour of some IP v6 network services - multicast, QoS and routing.
Chapters five through ten combine to form the deployment section covering six different deployment scenarios -scenarios that are evident in many enterprises. Chapter five is a broad overview of deployment issues include suggestions on risk topics to consider, security issues, planning and piloting. Chapter six addresses campus deployment; seven addresses deployment in a virtualized environment; chapter eight is a guidelines for deployment in WAN and branch office networks; chapter nine addresses deployment in data centers and chapter 10 is on VPN and remote access deployment. Each chapter includes description of scenario-specific topology and protocol options and as a unit provide a useful guideline to network managers.
The book is a cisco press book of course, and this is highlighted by the generous inclusion of IOS commands and screen dumps. Chapter 11, on management is another light walk-through of mostly IOS show and a few config commands. Again, this book is not your typical command or implementation reference manual - it is a design and architectural guide.
I will recommend this book, but buyers must remember the caution about what the true value of the book is. It is an architecture and design guide. A handy book for network managers or even planners working on their first IP version 6 deployment. It is not a Certification prep book or a deployment reference manual.
