By: Arthur Cooper
Submitted: 2011-01-19 13:41:42 | Word Count: 664
The entire Web is soon to be upgraded. Yes, the Web.
ICAAN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) states that the supply of IPv4 addresses and domain names were set to run out in the early 2000’s, but now estimates are that it could be as early as November this year.
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Therefore, the second version of internet protocol, being called IPv6 (internet Protocol version 6), is scheduled to be rolled out for one “test” day on June 8, 2011. The test day is meant to give web businesses the ability to see if their internal implementation regarding hardware and software will operate successfully and connect to the Web. The official rollout date, which is being dubbed in the technology world “World IPv6 Day”, is yet to be named.
The IPv4 had 4 billion IP addresses and has been the standard internet protocol since 1981; the IPv6 will provide 4 billion more.
The IPv6 was developed by the Internet Engineering Task force (IETF), a loose nonprofit group consisting of global participants who volunteer to develop and promote internet standards. Anyone with internet engineering expertise can contribute; it is not a formal organization.
With the introduction and increasing popularity of so many devices that connect to the Web, such as tablet computers and a surge in the smart phone market, the test run is crucial for seeing what problems are going to crop up, so that they can be quickly addressed before IPv4 addresses run out.
Although new to the public, developers have known about it for almost 8 years. There is widespread collaboration to facilitate the deployment of the IPv6 across the Web by IT managers, hardware and software developers, and leading internet based businesses. Google, Facebook and Yahoo have all implemented steps to facilitate the change and are gearing up for the June 8th test date, which will run IPv6 for a full 24 hours.
For some people, routers might need to be replaced or updated if possible. IPv6 cannot be accessed from modems and routers that only use IPv4. According to Tech Radar interview with Google Network Engineer Lorenzo Colitti, “The vast majority of users will be unaffected. However, in rare cases, users may experience connectivity problems…due to misconfigured [sic] or misbehaving home networks.”
Even the federal government is going to be monitoring the event, since the internet is so vital to today’s commercial, financial, security and governmental sectors.
The good news is that IPv6 upgrade is slated to bring some benefits other than simply replenishing the number of IP addresses available. It uses a 128-bit address versus the 32-bit addresses of IPv4. The extra space will provide better routing of internet traffic and much more flexibility in allocating addresses.
Since it took only 40 years to run out of IP addresses using IPv4, considering how much more wired our daily lives are—globally—it is hardly likely the IPv6 will serve us quite as long. However, probably by the time it runs out, the new version of internet protocol will just be sent directly to our brains wirelessly.
