6MAP IPv6 Address Planning Tool Frequently Asked Questions

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6MAP Tool Frequently Asked Questions

About Infoblox 6MAP

1.What is 6MAP?

a.     6MAP is an automated tool to create a framework for an IPv6 address plan. A simple wizard walks the user through the process.

2.Who is the target user group for this tool?

a.     The target or user group includes network administrators, network architects, network planners, and anyone responsible for planning and tracking IP address allocation.

3.How does 6MAP benefit my organization?

a.     Infoblox 6MAP gives users a head start on IPv6 planning.

b.     Upon completion, users get an IPv6 addressing framework for their organizations. (sample report)

4.Why do I need the 6MAP tool?

a.     For most organizations IPv6 is a new addressing protocol for which very little, if any, internal operational or architectural experience might exist. Infoblox 6MAP gives these users a head-start.

b.     Another challenge includes understanding how to most effectively manage the overwhelming abundance of IPv6 address space. The existing IPv4 addressing schema does not map over to IPv6. Infoblox 6MAP helps develop an IPv6 addressing framework

5.What information would I need to use this tool?

a.The minimum information required is a high-level understanding of your organization’s existing (or planned) network topology. For example: the overall number of connected sites and the potential subnetting hierarchy within sites based on routing or security policy.

6.How much does this tool cost?

a.     6MAP is a free tool developed by Infoblox to help customers plan their IPv6 migrations.

Using Infoblox 6MAP

7.How are enterprises, data centers, and small/medium sites defined?

a.     There are three location types that the 6MAP tool uses to help you define your enterprise IT for the purposes of creating a 6MAP. You must select at least 2 of the 3 types (this is to help make sure the 6MAP offers significant detail).

b.     Enterprise sites: These are your core business sites: e.g., headquarters or campuses.

c.      Data centers: Locations where the majority of compute and storage infrastructure are housed.

d.     Small or medium sites: These are generally branches, like satellite sales offices or retail outlets.

8.Why do you need to define the number of sites?

a.     The overall number of sites you have determines the proper size of your initial IPv6 allocation. Identifying the type of sites helps you correlate them to specific subnet assignments.

9.Why is the timeframe of 12 months instead of 24 or 36 months Important?

a.     12 months is a somewhat arbitrary rule of thumb for determining how soon you might need additional addresses for sites that your enterprise plans on adding. A simple capacity planning pie chart will show up in the upper left hand corner of your 6MAP roughly indicating the percentage of the site subnets held in reserve for growth beyond 12 months.

10.Why can’t I enter the LAN interfaces if I say yes to subnets assigned to functions or locations?

a.     6MAP defines LAN interface assignments as /64s (the smallest assignable prefix). If your site has no hierarchy in terms of functions or locations (i.e., “flat” with little or no layer-3 separation), it may be acceptable or desirable to directly allocate /64s. 6MAP will assign groups of subnets with sites with hierarchy corresponding to functions and locations (and, respectively, routing summarization or security/QoS ACL requirements). LAN interface subnets will be automatically calculated for each group using whatever nibbles (4-bits) remain. The system will construct a plan based on either LAN interfaces or the logical construction of business departments. The planning tool is restricted to “either/or.”

11.Can I still use this tool if I don't have the topology details?

a.     Yes! We encourage you to use 6MAP to model address plans for topologies with any level of detail. We hope that you will find the results educational. Of course, the more detail you can provide, the more complete your resulting address plan will be.

12.Are there any exceptions (or limitations) to using this tool?

a.     Yes. 6MAP has some limits in terms of the number of sites and subnets that can be depicted in the final graphic (at some point, we just run out of room on the graphic). In addition, we made some assumptions about the three types of sites most common to enterprises (enterprise campus, data center, and branch office). Your organization may have additional types of sites, but we still hope that you find the logic of the address planning understandable and extensible to your particular network.

13.What are my next steps once I receive the 6MAP output?

a.     Your 6MAP can be printed out and used as a reference as you create and revise your actual IPv6 address plan (Not to mention that it looks great hanging in your cubicle!). Once you create an account, you can also create additional 6MAPs to try out different addressing schemes.