Comparative Evaluation of Host-Based Translator Mechanisms for IPv4-IPv6 Communication Performance Analysis With Different Routing Protocols

Abstract

The impending exhaustion of internet protocol (IP) version four (IPv4) addresses necessitates a transition to the more expansive IP version six (IPv6) protocol. However, this shift faces challenges due to the widespread legacy of IPv4 infrastructure and resistance among organizations to overhaul networks. Host-based translators offer a critical bridging solution by enabling IPv6-only devices to communicate with IPv4-only devices through software-level protocol translation. This paper comprehensively evaluates four pivotal host-based translator mechanisms—bump-in-the-stack (BIS), bump-in-the-application programming interface (API) (BIA), BIA version 2 (BIAv2), and bump-in-the-host (BIH). Using simulated networks with diverse configurations of IPv4/IPv6 applications, hosts, and routing protocols, the authors assessed performance through metrics including packet loss, convergence time, traffic throughput, and overhead. The results reveal variability in effectiveness across both translators and scenarios. BIAv2 demonstrated advantages in throughput and overhead due to stateless mapping. The research underscores the importance of selecting the optimal translation approach for specific network environments and goals. It guides smoother IPv6 adoption by demonstrating how host-based translators can facilitate coexistence during transition. Further exploration of performance tradeoffs can continue guiding effective deployment strategies.