Start Checking IT Systems for IPv6 Readiness
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Instead, what you'll see is that some sites will enable IPv6
alongside their IPv4 sites, just as Google and Netflix have already done.
But most users are going to need the ability to run IPv4 and IPv6 at the same
time so they can get to the entire Internet. Fortunately, nearly all modern
computers and infrastructure hardware are capable of supporting both protocols
at the same time using dual IP stacks. For example, Windows 7 computers have
IPv6 networking installed and enabled by default. Most modern switches and
routers will support both IPv4 and IPv6 now.
The biggest hurdle for most companies is finding a way to
ensure they can actually use IPv6 and then attempting to see if they can reach
the places they need to reach. Unfortunately, major Internet providers don't
seem to have made the switch, so they're not much help. There is, however, Hurricane Electric that provides an IPv6 tunnel broker service that will give
you access to the IPv6 Internet even if your provider doesn't offer a
way.
So if there's no big rush, does that mean you don't have
to do anything? Not exactly. For many companies there will come a time, perhaps
in a few years, when there will be no choice but to move some functions to
IPv6. Eventually, there just won't be enough addresses to go around, even with
reuse through dynamic addressing and other means of slowing down the
need.
The best way to make the transition is not to wait until
the last minute. Instead, it's worth taking the time to identify those devices
on your network that can't do IPv6 at all, and either schedule them for
replacement or for transfer to a part of your network that won't need IPv6
right away. For those devices that are capable of IPv6, but are not yet enabled
for it, it's probably worth considering enabling it, assuming that it's
economically feasible. If not, then pretend it's not capable and treat the
devices as you would if they weren't capable at all.
Finally, for those devices and computers that appear to
be able to support IPv6, you should plan on testing them. This might be the
time to take advantage of Hurricane Electric's services to see just how
smoothly your network can transition into IPv6.
Wayne Rash is a Senior Analyst for eWEEK Labs and runs the magazineÃÃÃs Washington Bureau. Prior to joining eWEEK as a Senior Writer on wireless technology, he was a Senior Contributing Editor and previously a Senior Analyst in the InfoWorld Test Center. He was also a reviewer for Federal Computer Week and Information Security Magazine. Previously, he ran the reviews and events departments at CMP's InternetWeek.He is a retired naval officer, a former principal at American Management Systems and a long-time columnist for Byte Magazine. He is a regular contributor to Plane & Pilot Magazine and The Washington Post.
