The evolution of web technology has created new requirements for campus network billing systems. From IPv4 to IPv4/IPv6 double-trips, and from a pure IPv6 environment, each upgrade will require adaptation of the system.
IPv6 does not simply increase the length of addresses, but rather changes in the network architecture. In the era of IPv4, NAT technology allowed multiple users to share a common Internet IP address, and the billing system only required authentication and billing of user accounts.
We helped a high-level university to complete the upgrade from IPv4 to IPv6+ in 2020. This project is representative of the large number of traditional applications that schools have to adapt to IPv4, and support the use of IPv6 as a priority for new generation applications, so we introduced the two-shelter transition programme IPv4/IPv6.
Technology on the road
We have introduced BRAS devices to support the two-storey and added IPv6 session management capabilities to our system. When users authenticate, the system assigns IPv4 and IPv6 addresses simultaneously and creates a mapping relationship between user identification and both addresses.
Another technical difficulty is the management of IPv6. The IPv6 address space is so large that traditional IP address management tools cannot be handled effectively. We have introduced a new address management module to support automated distribution, status tracking, conflict detection, etc. of IPv6. And we have maintained the NAT64/DNS64 conversion to accommodate old applications, allowing pure IPv6 users access to IPv4.
After six months of running on a trial,
The system is very stable. The director of the school’s network said that they can confidently say that the campus network has entered the era of IPv6, not only to support existing teaching and research needs, but also to provide sufficient space for future material networking, 5G, etc.
This case illustrates that the technological evolution of campus network billing systems is an ongoing process. As web technology develops, fee-based systems need to be upgraded and adapted to the new network environment.
In terms of agreement support
We believe that the new generation of campus network billing systems should fully support IPv6 protocols, including IPv6 address allocation, IPv6 router, IPv6 security, etc. At the same time, the system should also support IPv4/IPv6 transition technologies such as double-trips, tunnels, translations, etc. to ensure smooth transition.
The biggest challenge to the system in an IPv6 environment is that it has a huge address space and a conventional search algorithm that is inefficient. We need to use new data structures and technologies, such as prefix trees, Hash tables, Bulon filters, to improve the speed of location search and matching. At the same time, we need to optimize the storage structure of databases, reduce disk I/O, and increase response speed.
In the area of security management
The network security threat in the IPv6 environment is more complex and diverse. A billing system requires a strong safety protection capability, including: DDoS attacks, virus transmission, malicious scanning, data disclosure, etc.
In terms of standardization, the international and foreign standards associated with IPv6 are numerous, but relatively few that correspond to China’s national circumstances. We need to actively participate in standard-setting and promote a system of IPv6 standards that is Chinese.
In the field of human development
Universities should strengthen their training and develop more network skills.
In terms of industrial ecology, the IPv6 industry chain is not perfect enough, and many equipment and software support for IPv6 is not good enough. We need to strengthen industrial synergies and promote upstream and downstream enterprises to work together on research and application of IPv6.
Overall, the evolution of IPv4 to IPv6+ is a long-term process that requires concerted efforts. As an important network infrastructure, campus billing systems must keep pace with technological developments and be continuously upgraded and adapted to suit the new network environment.