MNET Services>Telecom Data Networking>IPv6>Address Conventions

This documentation is preliminary and is likely to change before becoming final. Do not implement to it yet. Check for the next update by February 2012.

The State of Minnesota has the IPv6 address block 2607:f830/32. This means that all IPv6 addresses assigned by MN.IT will fall within that network block.

The State, working in conjunction with MnSCU, has developed an allocation strategy for use with that address space. The key elements of the strategy are:

• For now, we are only allocating from 1/4 of the total space, leaving 3/4 as reserved for future allocation decisions.
• Within the 1/4 of the space being used, organizations receive two /48 blocks:
  • one block of addresses that are routed to the Internet
  • a second block of addresses that will not[*] be routed on the Internet.

  [*] Well, they are part of our address space and hence technically routed. However, filters at the Internet connections prevent traffic to or from addresses in the second block from being passed.

• Ranges within the allocation are reserved for certain purposes. You can see these ranges by using the Allocation Calculator.
• MN.IT can work with you to develop an addressing plan.
• Each actual network should be allocated on a /64 boundary.
• Each network with public servers (e.g., those in the DNS) should use a /120 network mask.
• The default route should be the ::1 address. This is a change from the IPv4 MNet conventions.
• The lowest 16 addresses (::0 through ::f) should be reserved for network devices.
• Public servers should use addresses ::10 through ::ff.
• Client networks should use IPv6 address discovery rather than DHCP for address assignments.

MnSCU's strategy is the same, but allocates addresses from a separate address block.