I attended an IETF meeting to learn more about TCP BBR and to understand the debate around IPv6. Many people believe that IPv6 is the future and that IPv4 is filled with hacks that need to be replaced. However, I wanted to understand why IPv6 is so complicated compared to IPv4. After researching and asking around, I discovered that the introduction of bus networks and LANs led to the invention of layer 2 protocols and MAC addresses. This complicated the design of IPv6 and led to the need for additional protocols such as ARP and DHCP. The intertwining of Ethernet and IP has made bridging and routing more complex, resulting in the rise of software-defined networking (SDN). In summary, the history of networking has created a complicated mess that we now have to navigate.
https://apenwarr.ca/log/20170810