What is IPv6, and why should I care?
[ NOTE: this article began as the front page of the IPv6 Summit.ca website ]
Whenever you use the Internet, you are using an Internet Protocol (IP) - a set of rules for communication between computers. Internet Protocol Version 6 (or IPv6 for short) is an upgrade to the most widely available Internet Protocol (version 4, or IPv4). These Internet Protocols are used to assign each computer with an address (called an IP address) that uniquely identifies it on the Web and allows other computers to communicate with it.
But IPv4 was designed in 1980, before the explosion of the Internet and the advent of Internet-connected portable devices like cell phones, tablets, e-book readers, etc. It only has enough addresses for about 4 billion devices. The population of our planet well exceeds 6 billion, and with more people getting connected to the Internet every day, IPv4 simply cannot keep up.
At the current rate of consumption of IPv4 addresses, we will run out in mid-2011. Currently, due to this shortage, any organization building a large new network has no option but to use IPv6. Soon, newcomers will likewise face a choice between IPv6 or no internet connection at all. Moving to IPv6 now will:
- Avoid substantial cost increases for IPv4 addresses as they become increasingly unavailable
- Avert expensive last-minute IPv6 deployment, costly in terms of time, energy, wages, and potential errors or security risks; it has been demonstrated that conversion costs are minimal when a planned and careful migration is phased in over an extended period of time
- Maintain your organization’s competitive edge by ensuring interoperability with the latest technologies
IPv6 also holds some distinct advantages over IPv4. It:
- Provides plentiful addresses, enough so that one need not worry about running out (over 340 trillion trillion trillion!)
- Allows for more flexible network design, potentially translating into savings in design, deployment and operational costs
- Eliminates the need for network address translation (NAT)
- Improves quality of service
- Adds support for address mobility - an address follows a device wherever it goes
- Makes small network setups a breeze
- Improves support for mobile IP and mobile computing devices
To find out more, join us at the Ottawa IPv6 Summit 2011.
