By Steve Simlo, IPv6 Product Manager, Cisco Network Operating Systems Technology Group

As IPv6 gains more and more ground within the Internet we are starting to see recognition amongst the wider community that technologies such as Carrier Grade NAT (CGNAT) have some significant drawbacks from a service and scalability standpoint. Some of the issues were recently highlighted by a major carrier which actually issued a public "opt out" option to their customers if needed.

However, there are some applications such as online gaming, VPN access, FTP service, surveillance cameras, etc., that may not work when broadband service is provided via a CGN. For our customers utilizing these types of applications, we provide the ability to "opt out" of CGN

Cisco believes that the ideal way to scale CGNAT deployments is to run them with a Dual Stack or other IPv6 transition technology. There are a number of technology options which will allow IPv6 to become the de facto backbone protocol, and one of these technologies is Mapping of Address and Port (MAP). MAP offers the significant advantage of being a stateless distributed algorithm that allows IPv4 services to transit an IPv6 backbone and will be the topic of the next IPv6 focused Cisco Knowledge Network (CKN) TechAdvantage Webinar on June 4^th.

MAP will also feature as a significant part of the IPv6 technologies that we will be showcasing at our annual customer convention. Cisco Live 2013 Orlando will be with us in just under two months from now. If you are interested in IPv6 and IPv6 developments the great news is that there will be an unprecedented opportunity to learn from your peers at this years event.

We have over 50 sessions in Orlando with some IPv6 content included and fourteen IPv6 specific sessions in our overall agenda. We will cover aspects of IPv6 ranging from Enterprise and Service Provider deployment scenarios, plus migration, troubleshooting, and securing IPv6 infrastructure.

Hands on opportunities will be provided through the "Walk In Self Paced" Labs. Direct opportunities for discussion will be available via the Cisco Live "Meet The Engineer" program, through the "Table Topics" lunchtime discussions and through an open Panel (in which I will personally participate) focusing on "Experiences in Deploying IPv6" which will be supported by both Cisco staff and a number of highly experienced Industry professionals with direct experience of v6 deployment in a variety of scenarios.

I am very much looking forward to meeting everyone in Orlando and hearing more about your IPv6 experiences and requirements and look forward to seeing you all there.

Please find below the full list of IPv6 learning opportunities that will be available in Orlando: