Overview
Sprint maintains a tunneled IPv6 network that has been used for testing since 1997. Until our rollout of native service is completed, customers are welcome to continue using this testbed network to connect to the IPv6 Internet. There is no additional charge for this service, but it comes without any SLAs, and support is strictly best-effort.
GRE tunneling is used between IPv6 routers over the SprintLink (IPv4) infrastructure. Sprint uses an iBGP full-mesh between IPv6 routers in AS6175. IPv6 routers are stand-alone boxes. There are no dynamic protocol-level interactions with the IPv4 network (SprintLink; AS1239). ISIS is used as the Interior Gateway Protocol (IGP). IPv6 looks similar to the IPv4 SprintLink backbone, but with Hex addresses. Sprint's deployment of IPv6 will allow customers to take advantage of pre-existing circuits in a "dual-stack" solution. Tunnels from the customer to Sprint's IPv6 backbone would use one of the routers in AS6175 for a tunnel destination.
Sprint peers with numerous other IPv6 players via BGP4+ through a combination of IPv6-over-IPv4 tunneling and through limited presence at Native IPv6 exchanges. Currently, Sprint is at The Netnod exchange (Stokab) in Stockholm Sweden and is evaluating additional IX connections. The main goal of the Sprint IPv6 testbed network is to provide an IPv6 service for Sprint and its customers in order to gain experience and increase the visibility for IPv6.
Sprint's Tunneled IPv6 Test Backbone (AS6175)
| Router Name | Public IPv4 Address |
|---|---|
| sl-bb1v6-sea | 144.228.240.145 |
| sl-bb1v6-sj | 144.228.240.165 |
| sl-bb1v6-fw | 144.228.240.105 |
| sl-bb1v6-nyc | 144.228.240.213 |
| sl-bb1v6-rly | 208.19.223.30 |
| sl-bb1v6-bru | 80.66.128.3 |
| sl-bb1v6-sto | 192.108.195.185 |
How does a SprintLink customer get connected to the IPv6 test backbone (AS 6175)?
If a customer is interested in connecting to Sprint's IPv6 network, they may contact ipv6-support@sprint.net. The sales team may contact by proxy, but direct customer contact is preferred. We will require the following information to set up the IPv6 connection:
- Which router in our IPv6 tunneled network has the best IPv4 connectivity to your network?
- What is the IPv4 source address of the tunnel connection?
- Do you prefer IPv6IP or GRE encapsulation on your tunnel?
- Will you be doing static routing or BGP?
- If static, what block(s) do we need to route to you?
- If BGP, What is your ASN?
- What IPv6 blocks will you announce to us? (if it's a lot, instead tell us how many)
- Do you want transit or non-transit service?
- Provide a contact e-mail address for the administrator(s) of this IPv6 connection.
- The type of IPv6 machine that is terminating the tunnel (for our own records, to know what vendors customers are using, so we can tailor our configurations to their needs).
- The hostname of the customer's DNS server that they wish their reverse zone delegated down to. (N/A if customer is using their own IPv6 address space)
Routing Policy on AS 6175
Route maps along with access-lists and prefix filters are used on a per-neighbor basis to enforce Sprint's routing policy. Route maps can be applied inbound or outbound. They filter updates and modify various route attributes. IPv6 customers using Sprint's AS 6175 will use route maps as follows:
| Community String | Resulting Local Pref |
|---|---|
| 6175:70 | 70 |
| 6175:80 | 80 |
| 6175:90 | 90 |
| 6175:100 | 100 (default) |
| 6175:110 | 110 |
Sprint's IPv6 Address Space
If you do not have an IPv6 address block allocated from your RIR, Sprint can delegate you a block. However, be advised that these blocks are non-portable and we reserve the right to request you return the block to Sprint at any time. If you need a block, please provide justification.
DNS Services on the Tunneled IPv6 Network
In addition to connectivity and IPv6 address space (non-portable), Sprintv6.net also provides DNS, forward and reverse services, free of charge for IPv6. When we delegate a prefix to a customer, we will request that the customer give us the hostname of their IPv6 DNS server, and we will delegate that zone down to them. (Note: If a customer uses Sprint's service for their current DNS, this is totally separate, and on different hardware than the normal Sprint DNS service. This service description applies only to Sprint's IPv6 testbed deployment). Root servers for IPv6 currently can be found at: http://www.root-servers.org/
Please note: Some of all of these services may not have an IPv4 address associated. In some cases, some or all of these services may only be reachable via IPv6, and not via IPv4. These services are not associated in any way with Sprint's IPv4 hosting or DNS services, and are completely separate.