[Starlink] Info on IP country ranges

[Alexandre Petrescu]

Le 12/12/2023 à 03:43, Steven a écrit :
> Thanks for this reference that explicitly states it is IPv6 native.
>
> https://support.starlink.com/?topic=1192f3ef-2a17-31d9-261a-a59d215629f4 is another Starlink resource that confirms that a /56 is provided. This one doesn't explicitly mention native, but as mentioned I am confident it is.

Thanks for the pointer.  It clarifies indeed almost all my questions 
about IPv6 to starlink end users.  It is clear about that /56 to end 
users.  You also provided confirmation that is with DHCPv6-PD, and not 
tunnelbroker nor 6to4.  This is already very good.

What I further asked (is IPv6 encapsulated in IPv4?) might probably not 
be within the reach of non-starlink administrators, not visible to 
starlink end users.  Sorry for having given the impression that I might 
doubt the skilfullness.

For example, in 3GPP networks, it is also said, and generally agreed by 
very skilled persons, that almost all IPv6 is provided as native IPv6. 
In that context, it means that the packets from smartphone to a core 
network entity are not encapsulated in IPv4. But, it is also agreed that 
within that core network, that IPv6 is encapsulated in the GTP protocol, 
which is an UDP/IPv4 protocol. This encapsulation of IPv6 in IPv4 is 
invisible to end users, even if the encapsulation is there.

For 3GPP, the use of GTP is very much dedicated to supporting mobility - 
a user keeps a same IP address while changing base stations and S-GWs or 
SGSNs.  In starlink, on the contrary, it is probably not the case that 
the GTP protocol is used for mobility (I dont know?), because starlink 
says that the IP address might change during mobility (that URL you 
point to says "Our system is dynamic where moving the Starlink to 
another location [...] may cause the public IP to change."); so maybe 
IPv6 is not encapped in UDPv4.  Still, another role of GTP in 3GPP is 
that of providing a notion of 'circuit', for needs such as AAA: one such 
'circuit' is associated to one authenticated and billed user.  And 
starlink users _are_ authenticated and billed, too.  Thus, one might 
wonder what other than 3GPP's GTP protocol is starlink using to provide 
that notion of 'circuit'-per-user.  Maybe that starlink-circuit protocol 
is using tunnels, and that tunnel might be an IPv4 tunnel; it might also 
be an IPv6 tunnel.  Maybe it is using MPLS. Maybe something else.

It is  worth considering about standards work, interoperability with 
others, a probable NTN-TN convergence, and similar.

Alex

>
> Cheers,
> Steven
>
> On Tue, 12 Dec 2023, at 1:29 PM, J Pan wrote:
>> yes. https://starlink-enterprise-guide.readme.io/docs/ip-addresses
>> "Starlink is IPv6 native network. Using IPv6 is more flexible and
>> future-proof." starlink has greatly improved tech docs
>> --
>> J Pan, UVic CSc, ECS566, 250-472-5796 (NO VM), Pan at UVic.CA, Web.UVic.CA/~pan
>>
>> On Mon, Dec 11, 2023 at 5:10 PM Steven Honson via Starlink
>> <starlink at lists.bufferbloat.net> wrote:
>>> Hi Alex,
>>>
>>> As an experienced network engineer with extensive experience with IPv6, I'm confident this is native IPv6.
>>>
>>> Cheers,
>>> Steven
>>>
>>> On Tue, 12 Dec 2023, at 2:30 AM, Alexandre Petrescu wrote:
>>>> Steven,
>>>>
>>>> Thanks for the clarifications. It is indeed very advantageous to use
>>>> DHCPv6-PD from a Client in home to starlink Server, and obtain a /56.
>>>>
>>>> But to be native IPv6, it would need the IPv6 packets to travel natively
>>>> (sit directly on the link layer) between home and starlink network.  If
>>>> these IPv6 packets are encapsulate in IPv4, then there would be a risk
>>>> of additional latency compared to v4.
>>>>
>>>> A possible way to find out whether it's IPv6 native (and hence no
>>>> additional latency) is to browse speedtest.net from an IPv4-only client
>>>> vs from an IPv6-only client.  An IPv6-only Windows client can be made by
>>>> unchecking the IPv4 box in interface Properties window.
>>>>
>>>> Ideally, if it is IPv6 native, the latency reported by speedtest.net is
>>>> approximatively the same on IPv4 vs on IPv6 (sometimes the IPv6 latency
>>>> is even lower than on IPv4).  If the latency reported on IPv6 is higher
>>>> than on IPv4 it could be for many reasons, and one of them could be that
>>>> IPv6 is not native, but encapsulated in IPv4.  The IPv4 encapsulating
>>>> endpoint could be on Dishy.
>>>>
>>>> Alex
>>>>
>>>> Le 08/12/2023 à 13:24, Steven a écrit :
>>>>> Alexandre,
>>>>>
>>>>>> Are you sure the DHCPv6-PD server is in Starlink network and not on the
>>>>>> MikroTik router?
>>>>> That would be quite the unusual setup, and even so would require that I obtain said /56 from elsewhere (such as via a tunnel) to then delegate back to myself...
>>>>>
>>>>>> It could be that the MikroTik router runs tunnelbroker, obtains a /56
>>>>>> from HE, splits that /56 into multiple /64s and puts it on the DHCPv6-PD
>>>>>> local server config files.
>>>>> I am confident this is not the case since I configured these routers from scratch.
>>>>>
>>>>>> It could also be that the DHCPv6-PD server is run on the Dishy.
>>>>> It is unlikely that it is on the Dishy, as the latency to the DHCPv6 servers IP address, as well as the first IP hop, indicates the usual Ground->Space->Ground latency I'd expect.
>>>>>
>>>>>> It could also be that the DHCPv6-PD server is run on the starlink ground
>>>>>> network: maybe on the teleport, maybe deeper on the starlink network.
>>>>> Yes, this is the most likely place they are running this, likely the PoP you are being routed through.
>>>>>
>>>>>> Do you know the IPv6 address of your DHCPv6-PD Server?
>>>>> The DHCPv6 server address is a Starlink IPv6 address, the same one as my default gateway (`2406:2d40:xxx:xxx::1`). The /56 I am being allocated is also from the same /32 as this DHCPv6 server, with the /32 being 2406:2d40::/32, which you'll note is allocated to Starlink.
>>>>>
>>>>> Cheers,
>>>>> Steven
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