Expanding the IPv6 Lab Use Space

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Table of Contents

1. Introduction

The address architecture for IPv6 [RFC4291] does not explicitly define any prefixes allocated exclusively for lab use, nor is such address space allocated in [RFC6890] or in [RFC8200]. While lab deployments could potentially use IPv6 address prefixes typically assigned and configured in non-lab network, the use of such addressing in lab environments may create addressing conflicts and unnecessary operational confusion. For instance, designing labs utilizing ULA fc00::/7 [RFC4193] is problematic due to the random global ID requirement preventing hierarchical network prefix design possibilities. Further, default address selection behavior [RFC6724] by end nodes may result in a de-preference of such addresses and prevent lab deployments from accurately modeling their desired non-lab equivalents, especially in the testing of devices that are incapable of adjusting the global source selection table. To resolve these problems involved in building large-scale lab networks, and pre-staging, or automating large-scale networks for deployment, this document allocates the IPv6 address prefix 0200::/7 for these purposes. The goal is to allow organization to share working lab configuration files (with little or no need of modification) to be deployed in a third party lab environment, public and private externally managed services, virtualization or hosting environments as well as in other networks such as Service Providers, Enterprise, Government, IoT, and Energy, all with the knowledge that the lab GUA address space will perform the same as any GUA but with the added knowledge that filtering will be used to protect accidental leaks to the Internet. The following criteria is for selecting the lab prefix:¶

• Address space should reside outside of IANA allocated GUA block of 2000::/3¶
• The precedence for the lab prefix should not be lower than the GUA prefix as defined in [RFC6724] (unlike ULA).¶
• Reduce the operational impacts to IANA and the RIR's in selecting lab prefix space.¶

2. Terminology

The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT", "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "NOT RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in BCP 14 [RFC2119] [RFC8174] when, and only when, they appear in all capitals, as shown here.¶

3. Assignment of address space for use in large-scale lab and prototyping environments

The prefix reserved for large scale lab and testing purposes is 0200::/7.¶

4. Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the valuable input and contributions of the v6ops WG. The authors further acknowledge the work of Bob Hinden and Stephen Deering, in authoring the protocol standard and the addressing architecture for IPv6. The authors would also like to recognize the valuable input, suggestions, and insight by Tom Coffeen, Scott Hogg, and Jay Stewart.¶

5. Security Considerations

The addresses assigned for lab and staging use SHOULD be filtered as noted above. Setting aside address space for lab and staging use, and adding this address space to common filters to prevent destinations in this space from being routed in production networks (including the global Internet) improves security by preventing the leakage of prefixes used for testing into production environments. As such, setting aside this space improves the overall security posture of the Internet.¶

6. IANA Considerations

IANA to allocate and record the reservation of the IPv6 global unicast address prefix 0200::/7 as a lab-only prefix in the IPv6 address registry. No end party is to be assigned this address.¶

7. Appendix A.

Authors' Addresses