Support for IPv6 as a best practice for DNS resolvers would ensure reliable name resolution for devices and networks that operate only over IPv6. Some DNS resolvers currently operate using only IPv4 and can fail to resolve names whose authoritative servers are reachable only via IPv6, creating connectivity gaps. RFC3901 (2004) mandates IPv4 implementation while leaving IPv6 optional, reflecting older deployment assumptions. Empirical measurements of DNS readiness for IPv6 report no negative consequences from requiring IPv6 support. Requiring IPv6 in resolvers can reduce reliance on IPv4 and encourage broader IPv6 adoption, aiding IPv4 phase-out.
A pair of networking researchers have proposed that the Internet Engineering Task Force define support for IPv6 as a best practice for operators of DNS resolvers - the servers that translate URLs into IP addresses - and one of them hopes adoption of the idea will accelerate the demise of IPv4.
Momoka Yamamoto of the WIDE Project, a research consortium that works on internet technology and standards, and Tobias Fiebig of the Max-Planck-Institut für Informatik penned an IETF Internet Draft in which they note that, although discussions on IPv6 commenced decades ago, it's still not universally deployed. One consequence of that is that some DNS resolvers may use only IPv4, and struggle to do their job for domain names for devices and networks that use only IPv6. Websites may not feel the need to use IPv6, which keeps the world tied to IPv4, perpetuating the cycle.
"This poses a challenge for such resolvers because they may encounter names for which queries must be directed to authoritative DNS servers with which they do not share an IP version during the name resolution process," the pair wrote.
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