WASHINGTON, D.C. -- IPv6 Briefing -- No resource is inexhaustible. So as we attach IP addresses to everything from cellphones to sneakers, we're on track to run out of IPv4 addresses by 2010 -- about the same time that federal officials project that IPv6 deployment will be in full flower.
All federal agencies were required to upgrade their networks to Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) by June 30, 2008. And their move is expected to encourage the private sector and other regions of the globe. Kshemendra Paul, chief architect at the U.S. Department of Justice, cited Asia as one of the strongest adopters of IPv6, adding that it's "not surprising," as Asia is experiencing huge demand for IPv4 addresses. He and other speakers at a briefing yesterday also predicted that China would roll out IPv6 offerings during the upcoming Olympic games in Beijing.
Oddly, some IPv4 addresses remain unused, according to Peter Tseronis, chairperson of the Federal IPv6 Working Group and senior technical advisor at the Department of
Energy. He explained that continued use of IPv4 will be as futile as continuing to upgrade your same old computer with new parts.
"We just happen to be one of those countries that
acquired a heck of a lot of address space and haven't deployed a lot of them," said Tseronis.
"There's a sense that we have plenty to work with and don't need v6, [but] v6 learned about v4
protocol and improved it."
Several panelists here foreshadowed what an IPv6-enabled world would look like, citing advances in things like mobile sensors capable of detecting weather and traffic patterns -- or sensors that can take a person's body temperature from anywhere. (That rocks my world.)They also expect that IPv6 will bring other alleged advantages, like longer addressing space and better security. Whereas IPSec is optional with IPv4, it is mandatory in IPv6, which, it is believed, will result in more secure networks.
But upgrading to IPv6 is certainly not without its challenges, and the panelists urged patience along the way until the transition is complete.
"I get too many questions about 'what's the next cool
killer app?' and I'm like 'slow down.' Don't go buying and implementing anything
until you've really architected it and know it's going to work," said Tseronis.
Adding to that was Sheila Frankel, senior computer scientist for the National Institute for Standards and Technology. "When you buy a product you expect certain features. One question to ask is: Does
using v6 compromise the core other functions I expect of the product? Sometimes, to get
user-friendly interfaces, you have to turn off v6... Have I scared you yet?"
To follow through with v6 upgrades going forward (providing they aren't too frightened by Frankel's minatory remarks) government agencies are urging education on IPv6, and harmonization with other IPv6 standards. But, above all, they said, a successful migration requires vendor cooperation. "The key here is partnership with industry," said the DoJ's Paul. "We're requesting engagement from partners in industry... Make it your mission to work with your
customers."
One thing I've learned about computing can be summarized by Kay's line in Men in Black
"There's always an Arquillian Battle Cruiser, or a Corillian Death Ray,
or an intergalactic plague that is about to wipe out all life on this
miserable little planet, and the only way these people can get on with
their happy lives is that they Do... Not... Know about it!"
remember the unix closck runs out of bits on Jan 18, 2038.
I can only think of the stories I read in book saying how the engineers that designed IPv4 (or whatever protocol, system) thought that they had solved the problem for all of humankind.
When I think of how many addresses IPv6 has, I think the same - some kid will be laughing at me (and many others) in a couple years when he needs an IP address for each atom in his body (if global warming doesn't kill us first!).
Thanks Mr. Roques, for bringing this into a more clear focus. I am glad there are translation devices that can make all this happen without much trouble.
Will our tennis shoes need little routers and such in them too? I presume this translation happens at the connection point to the network, be that a wireless router, etc.
It seems like we should never run out again if there are enough IPs in the new protocol for every grain of sand on the beach. Perhaps though we will have to go to the IPv8 by 2525. (cue the song...In the year 2525...)
This is a very interesting process we will be able to observe and participate in.
It would work using NAT (Network Address Resolution). That's what most of us have in our home network.
Normally the ISPs give you only one public IP address (unless you ask ($) for more). The router at your house creates a new network (192.168.0.x or 10.x.x.x , in most of the cases) when you try to access the internet, the routerchanges your address into a public one, with a particular port (to recognize your connection).
Now, with enough direct IPv6 addresses for every grain sand on every beach on every planet in the universe, each device can have its own distinct identity, apart from the subnet it attached to.
New ways to communicate to and between devices, highly network independent methods, will appear. Transition will be smooth. IPv4 fill fit in a tiny corner of the IPv6 space.
IPv4 will linger as long as the remains of the old network stand- cell towers, server farms, firewalls.Then, maybe along about 2050, the cloud will finally be flat
The address translation scenario makes sense, to a point. Would each unique ip4 address have to then piggy back on a new ip6 address? Or would it be more like the scenario where multiple ip4s could translate to a single ip6 address?
The compatibility, from what I know, hasn't be resolver (or wont be resolved). There are ideas of using IPv4-compatible addresses (those that only have information in the last 4 bytes) but that has too many flaws.
The concept that is being used is that of using a IPv4-IPv6 gateway that translates your address into a compatible one, and then forwards the packet. I *think* that's what is going to be implemented in the government networks (I read that in the Internets).
Does IPv6 have any backwards compatibility? It seems to me, that if this change is inevitable, there ought to be a way for computers to self manage this change. (Tongue in cheek) and that it should not really effect end users that much.
Will all the IPv4 addresses need to be reassigned to a new IPv6 address? Or will we just have a completely new set of addresses available to add to our current ones?
I am sure that we will run out of these new addresses just as fast as long as we are willing to attach an IP to anything and everything from sneakers to pop machines.
I am certain that this represents another golden opportunity for IT professionals to earn big money aiding in the transition and version upgrades.
cmj
And IPV6 will bring in the change that is required to meet the ever expanding need of the Internet. This change will bring a lot of positive change.
As mentioned by Mr. Roques it has 128 bits which means a lot of new address space and a bigger turf for every one. IPV6 is the next-gen internet
On the flip side it also means that a lot of hardware/software upgrades will need to be done on the existing internet devices. There maybe some tweaking on some of the legacy application also. But overall there should not be many issues as most of the vendors have taken care of the same and included IPV6 as part of the latest versions like MS, Cisco , Juniper etc ..
It's good to know that sneakers have their own IP addresses (there're probably already 2^128 pairs of sneakers out there in the known universe - there you go, a justification for the upgrade... kidding of course).
So we're running out of IPv4 addresses in about 2 more years, and the upgrade or migration to IPv6 will result in an incredibly, ridiculously huge number of more addresses, but how long will that last? Considering that any resource is exhaustible, have they done any guesstimate as to what year IPv6 will too be used up? ... I suppose if it weren't within anyone's life time, who's gonna care, right?
Is it valid to say that one of the key things that keep the IPv6 migration from happening fast enough is the concern about the compatibility of IPv6 to the existing v4-based networks? ... If Microsoft has tought me anything, it's that there's always gonna be compatibility issues associated with version upgrades.
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