ipv6

IPv6 Essentials
$44.99
This book fails to provide any value over reading RFCs. To start with, not only is the author's English lacking, she also doesn't seem to have any analytical skills. This book is a superficial regurgitation of pro-IPv6 arguments, and transliteration of RFC material.

Here is a sampling of examples of the above:

1) The authors of IPv4 did not think of QoS (then what is the TOS field for?)
2) IPv6 has autoconfiguration which makes it superior to IPv4 (how different is asking for a prefix from asking for an address?).
3) IPv6 "adds" path MTU so it avoids IPv4's fragmentation (IPv4 can do that too!).
4) 128 bit addresses are needed (64 bit addresses are way more than anyone can ever need).

5) The chained IPv6 extension headers are flexible and therefore superior to IPv4 (but they also require parsing and traversing the list to get to ULP).

Is there anything incorrectly designed in IPv6? According to Hagen, IPv6 is perfect. What kind of protocol has no issues??

If you can read RFCs, this book is a waste of money.

Running IPv6
$54.99
'Running IPv6' by Iljitsch van Beijnum is an essential reference for any IT people who are looking to:

1. Upgrade from IPv4
2. Learn more about the IPv6 standard
3. Want to configure and set up IPv6

This book covers Windows, Mac, Free BSD, Linux, Cisco routers, DNS and bind... the whole shebang

Not written for a novice, this book assumes that you have knowledge of IP-related material and are not reading this book simply for "vacation reading". In a niche market this book scales its way to the top of the moutain.

Great resource!!

***** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

IPv6 Network Administration
$44.95
I bought this book to understand IPv6 so I know the meaning behind the various vendor-specific IPv6 knobs I will have to tweak in the near future, e.g. Cisco, Microsoft, *nix etc. I was misled by the "..Network Administration" in the title. Which, to me, usually represents a book with how-tos - and relevant rationale - pertaining to IPv6 on various platforms. A better title for this book is: "IPv6 - Planning Your Transition".

What I got instead was sort of a relaxed technical rambling from a couple of guys that clearly know IPv6 but don't know the next thing about how to teach others about it. (Think of two super-qualified IPv6 experts musing aloud about IPv6 while sitting in comfy leather chairs, wearing cardigans with elbow patches, beside a crackling fireplace, in a mountain cabin, in snowy weather.) I suffered through two whole chapters of the obligatory pros and cons of IPv4 at the beginning only to see IPv6's workings disposed off in a single chapter. Albeit with promises that we would "..get down to the juicy details later in Chapters 4 and 6." No such luck I'm afraid.

The book also suffers from a particularly acute case of let-me-tell-why-this-is-great that most engineers suffer from when asked to explain what they've come up with. Here's a quote from chapter 3's second paragraph to illustrate the point:

"When we talk about networking protocols in general it's important to understand the difference between specification and implementation."

Ummm, yes, if you are implementing the blasted thing. Not so much if you are a technical user of it. I knew I was in trouble after this point in the book.

So I excused myself, left the mountain cabin and took the cable car back into town. I hightailed it to the nearest bookstore and bought myself "Understanding IPv6, Second Edition" by Joseph Davies from Microsoft Press. Now here is a book that disposes off the obligatory IPv4 pros and cons in a couple of pages and gets to the meat of the matter in no time, i.e the actual workings of IPv6, its fields, their meanings and how they are used. As an added bonus, this book also does a great job of covering IPv6 transition options.

Buy "Understanding IPv6, Second Edition" and save your money. Or better, send me a postage paid book envelope and I'll send you my copy of "IPv6 Network Administration".

Cisco Self-Study: Implementing Cisco IPv6 Networks (IPV6)
$60.00
Design, build, configure, and support networks based on Version 6 of the Internet ProtocolCoverage includes:Overview of history and motivations behind the new protocol, including the limitations of the IPv4 address space, Network Address Translation (NAT), fast growth of the Internet routing table, international issues, mobility, security, and many other topics Header format, addressing, Path MTU Discovery (PMTUD), IPv6 over link-layer technologies, Extended Unique Identifier-64-bit (EUI-64) format, Internet Control Message Protocol Version 6 (ICMPv6), autoconfiguration, neighbor discovery protocol, Duplicate Address Detection (DAD), and use of DNS with IPv6 Comparison with BGP4+, RIPng, IS-IS for IPv6, and OSPFv3 with Cisco IOS(r) Software routing references and examplesTransitioning from and co-existing with IPv4 using Dual Stack, configured tunnel, generic routing encapsulation (GRE), 6to4, 6to4 Relay, Intra-Site Automatic Tunnel Addressing Protocol (ISATAP), and Network Address Translation-Protocol Translation (NAT-PT) configurationsEnabling, configuring, and operating a Cisco router with IPv6 addresses, prefixes, IPv6 ACLs, IPv6-enabled routing protocols, CEFv6, and several coexistence mechanismsHost-router interaction with Microsoft Windows, Solaris, FreeBSD, Linux, and Tru64 UNIXPreview of Internet IPv6 and address allocation on 6BoneDeploying production IPv6 connectivity in enterprise networks using prefixes allocated by ARIN, RIPE, and APNICWith the proliferation of Internet devices that require a globally unique host address such as handhelds, 3G phones, and other wireless devices, the supply of Internet addresses available will soon be exhausted. Cisco Self-Study: Implementing Cisco IPv6 Networks (IPV6) shows you how to use Version 6 of the Internet Protocol to stay ahead of the curve, safeguard against running out of address space, avoid awkward address-expansion efforts, and apply the power of the new Internet to meet your needs over the coming decades. Complete with practical examples that show the real-world application of IPv6, Cisco Self-Study: Implementing Cisco IPv6 Networks (IPV6) presents in-depth technical coverage of designing, configuring, deploying, and debugging IPv6 on Cisco routers. Within, you'll find strategies for management, integration, and international implications. To help you remember key concepts, each chapter ends with challenging review questions that test your knowledge of the subject matter. Whether you are searching for a comprehensive reference to the new version of the Internet Protocol or require a solutions-based implementation guide based on official Cisco content, Cisco Self-Study: Implementing Cisco IPv6 Networks (IPV6) is your complete networking resource for this valuable and inevitable technology.Cisco Self-Study: Implementing Cisco IPv6 Networks (IPV6) is part of a recommended learning path from Cisco Systems that can include simulation and hands-on training from authorized Cisco Learning Partners and self-study products from Cisco Press.Books in this series provide Cisco authorized, self-study solutions to help networking professionals understand technology implementations and prepare for the Cisco Career Certification examinations.