Why not make an IOAM for IP v4?

[6blzzard]

Hello!
I am an undergraduate student. I'm in the process of choosing a topic for my graduation project.
I read your paper "Implementation of Ioam for IPv6 in the Linux Kern.pdf" and was very impressed. While IPv6 has a promising future, IPv4 is the more mainstream protocol that is urgently needed. Why did you only develop IOAM for IPv6 but not for IPv4? Are there any technical hurdles involved?
Looking forward to hearing from you.

[IurmanJ]

Hi @6blzzard ,

Sorry, I somehow missed your message and only saw it now... don't know why I didn't receive an email or notification.

While IPv6 has a promising future, IPv4 is the more mainstream protocol that is urgently needed. Why did you only develop IOAM for IPv6 but not for IPv4? Are there any technical hurdles involved?

I won't necessarily comment on whether IPv4 or IPv6 is "more mainstream" these days, as it also depends on where you look at it in the network/Internet (i.e., different perspective). However, your observation about the absence of IOAM in IPv4 is correct. The reason is simple: IOAM is an IETF standard protocol (officially since May 2022), and the IETF is no longer adding new features to IPv4. I wouldn't say the IETF considers IPv4 a legacy but, in general, IPv6 is preferred for the future (you could also see it as an incentive for IPv6 adoption).

Hope this helps, and not too late!