IPv6 Act Now

IP address management continues to challenge enterprise IT managers who often find themselves stuck between having to save cash and needing a better way to track core network services.

Companies such as Alcatel-Lucent, BT Diamond IP, BlueCat Networks and Infoblox deliver products for IP address management as well as DNS and DHCP services. And some companies depend on open source products such as IPplan instead of depending on spreadsheets or other tools.

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A Domain Name System (DNS) server translates domain names, that you and I can understand, such as www.google.com, into IP (Internet Protocol) addresses that identify computers on a network.

There are two versions of these addresses. IPv4 consists of a 32-bit binary number (ie a string of 32 ones or zeroes), but these are usually written as four groups of 0-255 decimal numbers separated by dots – eg 208.69.34.231.

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The American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN) board of trustees has decided to start contacting the CEOs of IPv4 block holders advising them that IPv4 addresses will be depleted within the next 2 years and that they should move over to IPv6.

ARIN will also start toughening the vetting of requests for additional IPv4 block allocations from the 18th May.

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Packet Design has added support for IPv6 – the next-generation version of the Internet Protocol – to Route Explorer, its network management system that gives enterprises and service providers visibility into routing operations on their IP networks. The Internet Engineering Task Force developed IPv6 to replace the existing version, IPv4, which faces address-space limitations as Internet usage continues to grow.

With the new IPv6 capability, Route Explorer, which works by passively “listening” to routing protocol exchanges and computing a real-time, network-wide layer-3 topology, will now be able to monitor and analyze IPv6 networks, as well as those running IPv4. This information will enable network engineers to quickly identify and resolve problems, perform effective network maintenance, and do accurate change planning on increasingly complex networks that incorporate both versions of the protocol.

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We know what the problem is. We know what the solution is. So why aren’t we doing something about it?

Every year, around April Fools’ day, someone pulls out the old “Internet Spring Cleaning” gag. For those of us who are not technical neophytes or have been “online” long enough, the joke is amusing but not nearly as much as when it originally appeared many, many, many years ago.

Is it possible, though, that one day the old “the Internet needs to be rebooted” gag might be real? That in order to get from here to there (IPv4 to IPv6) a complete shutdown of the infrastructure that makes “the innertubes” work might be necessary?

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This week the 2nd annual 2009 Rocky Mountain IPv6 Summit was held in Denver Colorado. This event is put on by the Rocky Mountain IPv6 Task Force and the University of Denver. The IPv6 Summit is a 2-day IPv6 educational event that is FREE to attend. While well over 400 people registered for the event, the event attracted 300 people over the two days.

The Rocky Mountain IPv6 Task Force is a regional sub-chapter of the North American IPv6 Task Force. These Task Forces are dedicated to the advancement and propagation of the Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6). The RMv6TF promotes IPv6 and works to educate the community on IPv6 and its benefits. The RMv6TF performs research and development and showcases IPv6 technology and services and shares this knowledge with the public. The RMv6TF works to put on local IPv6-focused events and further the use of IPv6 within the Rocky Mountain region. The RMv6TF is an organization that industry and government can look to for guidance on IPv6 transition information and advice about best practices and solutions involving IPv6.

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NetApp (NASDAQ:NTAP) today announced that its Data ONTAP® software has been certified by the U.S. Department of Defense for Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) interoperability. As a result, NetApp is now listed on the U.S. federal government’s Special Interoperability Certification for IPv6 Capability list.

The current version of IP in widespread use, IPv4, was first defined and deployed over 25 years ago, and its limit of about 4 billion addresses will eventually be exhausted. IPv6, a replacement for IPv4, is the next generation of the Internet Protocol, with virtually inexhaustible address space that allows improved security, extended routing capabilities, and IP mobility. All products purchased in support of Department of Defense networks must be IPv6 capable.

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QUEBEC CITY — EXFO Electro-Optical Engineering Inc. (NASDAQ: EXFO, TSX: EXF) announced today the incorporation of optional comprehensive IPv6 testing capabilities across its entire portfolio of transport and datacom testing modules. The continuing proliferation of IP-enabled, always-on mobile devices is rapidly exhausting the available pool of IPv4 addresses, forcing service providers to actively transition their core, metro and backhaul networks to IPv6 addressing schemes in order to support the adoption of premium-priced, advanced multimedia services. However, both addressing schemes will continue to co-exist in the network, and therefore service providers must find efficient, cost-effective and comprehensive methods of testing both implementations in the most efficient manner.

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This is what we were all waiting for, the ability to use a mobile device and be able to access, communicate and interact through video calls with friends, colleagues, family and friends worldwide.

Browse the internet or send and receive email as well as watch Live-TV, Movies or listen and download any form of streaming media FASTER, CHEAPER and EFFICIENT. This in a nutshell what 4G is promised to offer.

Faster and more efficient is what the 4G standard is all about, but to be available cheaper that remains to be seen. Though from the outset, it looks very possible, VoIP was nothing but a dream, yet now is a reality and dirt cheap to make a phone call in most cases absolutely free from your computer or laptop. As 4G is going to be compatible and Interoperable on the new IPv6 Internet Protocol, at least that part of it using voice and video calling is already a feasible possibility.

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