IPv6 Mandates: Choosing a Transition Strategy, Preparing Transition Plans, and Executing the Migration of a Network to IPv6

Chapter 10. Factoring IPv6-Specific Risks and Limitations into Your Plans

	Call before you dig.
	--Underground Utility Industry slogan

I recall there was a time that lasted quite a while after we moved into our newly built home that when I attempted almost any minor fix-it or improvement job, I found a problem in the original construction. The job I recall most is installing an over-the-stove microwave oven to replace the vent fan that came with the house. On removing the old unit I found that the hole in the wall leading to the outside world was four inches from where the fan's "ideal" output was. The builder had "jimmied" (a technical term) the unit in so it was actually able to vent, but the microwave was far more rigid and less forgiving. The simple installation job became a full day task. The whole affair reminded me of an episode of one my favorite shows, Malcolm in the Middle, where the average middle-class dad aims to change a light bulb and winds up lying under the car working on some unrelated problem, the latest of a succession of chores he found on the way to locating a bulb. His wife comes in and asks him, "What are you doing?" He answers, "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm changing a light bulb." The point of this little story is that your IPv6 transition will have its misaligned kitchen vents and broken light bulbs, because like my home all those years ago, it's brand new. Despite what the RFCs and vendors say, the implementations will behave differently. Moreover, ...