Documentation > IP/ICMP Translation in Detail > The IPv6 Address Pool

The IPv6 Address Pool

Index

1. Introduction
2. Specification Summary
3. NAT64 Jool’s pool6
4. SIIT Jool’s pool6

Introduction

A translator’s “IPv6 address pool” is a handful of prefixes which are used by IP/ICMP Translation’s eldest IP address translation algorithm (which is defined in RFC 6052).

Because of its internal variable naming conventions, Jool simply calls it “pool6” (as a shorthand for “IPv6 pool”) in pretty much every situation. Also, because its instance capabilities render a complex pool6 reduntant, Jool manages only one pool6 prefix per instance.

Vanilla SIIT uses pool6 to translate every address, while NAT64 only uses it to translate the destination address of incoming IPv6 packets and the source address of incoming IPv4 packets.

Specification Summary

pool6’s prefix length (PL) must be 32, 40, 48, 56, 64 or 96. As defined by the RFC, pool6 address translation is performed according to the following table:

+--+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
|PL| 0-------------32--40--48--56--64--72--80--88--96--104---------|
+--+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
|32|     prefix    |v4(32)         | u | suffix                    |
+--+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
|40|     prefix        |v4(24)     | u |(8)| suffix                |
+--+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
|48|     prefix            |v4(16) | u | (16)  | suffix            |
+--+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
|56|     prefix                |(8)| u |  v4(24)   | suffix        |
+--+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
|64|     prefix                    | u |   v4(32)      | suffix    |
+--+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
|96|     prefix                                    |    v4(32)     |
+--+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+

Given a pool6 prefix, any given IPv4 address is encoded in the v4 slots of its byte array. u and suffix are always zero. More often than not, PL=96 is used because it’s the most intuitive option.

Here are a few examples:

Just note that the translation is bidirectional; given a pool6 prefix, one can infer the IPv4 counterpart of an IPv6 address (assuming that the IPv6 address matches the prefix) as well as the IPv6 counterpart of an IPv4 address.

NAT64 Jool’s pool6

Because pool6 is the only currently standardized means for a NAT64 to translate IPv6 destinations and IPv4 sources, a pool6 prefix is quintessential NAT64 configuration. NAT64 Jool simply cannot do anything without one.

Also, a synchronization issue was discovered during the review of Jool 4.0.0, and the most realistic solution turned out to be to turn pool6 into a constant. (For now.)

Thus, NAT64 Jool’s pool6 can only be specified during instance creation. It cannot be changed or removed after that:

user@T:~# jool instance add --iptables --pool6 64:ff9b::/96

SIIT Jool’s pool6

Stateless Jool does not suffer from NAT64’s synch issue, so its pool6 can be changed at any time. Note, however, that pool6 is now a global configuration field, and not its own database. You no longer tweak it by means of --pool6 --add, but rather global update pool6:

user@T:~# jool_siit instance add --iptables -6 64:ff9b::/96
user@T:~# jool_siit global update pool6 2001:db8::/96

SIIT has two main address translation mechanisms: pool6 and EAMs. Both of them can be used to translate any address. Consequently, SIIT Jool can operate with a void pool6 if you so desire:

user@T:~# jool_siit eamt add ...
user@T:~# jool_siit eamt add ...
user@T:~# jool_siit eamt add ...
user@T:~# jool_siit global update pool6 null