Don't panic, but be ready to adopt IPv6
- Posted:
- 09:28 28 Apr 2003
- Topics:
- Internet
Internet Protocol version 6 is an idea
whose time has almost come. But what, if anything, should IT
directors and network managers be doing to prepare for
it?
Internet Protocol version 6 is not that new. It has been around as
an idea since the early 1990s and as a draft protocol since 1998.
Now, though, it is starting to become something you might think
about implementing in the next few years. But what is it, and when
should IT departments take an interest?
Pros and cons
The most obvious advantage of IPv6 is that because it uses 128bit
addresses instead of 32bit addresses, a lot more addresses are
available - 34 x 1038 of them, instead of the theoretical maximum
of 4.3 billion that exist in the current incarnation, IPv4.
Christian de Larrinaga, director of the UK IPv6 Task Force, says
inefficiencies in IPv4 address management mean there are far fewer
global addresses available than the theoretical total. Cisco
estimates that two thirds of the available addresses will be used
up by the end of this year.
IPv4 users work around shortages of addresses in various ways, for
example by using network address translation, which allows more
than one organisation to use the same address. However, there are
disadvantages to these workarounds.
Address space conservation methods entail some reduction in
application flexibility and user security, plus extra expense and
complexity. Also, there can be problems with address conflicts, and
large companies can face difficulty just managing their internal
addressing structures.
Some technologies require, or work better with, fixed IP addresses.
Always-on domestic internet connections and 3G mobile phone
technology are among the developments that could steeply drive up
demand for fixed addresses. With IPv6, it will theoretically be
possible to give every device its own address, whether it be a car
engine, the office coffee machine or a factory process control
instrument.
Another advantage of IPv6 relates to its intrinsic end-to-end
security. IPsec (IP Security) is built in to IPv6, whereas it is an
"optional extra" in version four. Quality of service functions, the
ability to multicast and Multi Protocol Label Switching (see
glossary) are also built in to IPv6.
Given that IPv6 has been designed to solve the problems of IPv4,
its only disadvantage should be the hassle and expense of
transition. The process of migration will be helped by techniques
that allow IPv4 and IPv6 to run on the same routers and over the
same links. "Tunnelling" lets IPv6 traffic travel over an existing
IPv4 infrastructure, so you can have islands of IPv6 in what is
still essentially an IPv4 network.
Current status
Some pioneers are going through the pain of early adoption.
Shinichiro Kashiwagi, manager of the Global IP Group at NTT Europe,
says, "Japan has the second biggest amount of IP traffic in the
world. The limited IPv4 address allocation for Japan was beginning
to hinder new applications from emerging and that is why Japan had
to be the earliest adopter of IPv6."
Other nations that are likely to get in early include Far Eastern
countries that lost out when the IPv4 addresses were allocated and
countries such as Afghanistan and African states that have never
had much infrastructure.
Europe has its own pioneers. Jane Butler, regional head of strategy
and collaboration at Cisco, chairs the 6Net consortium, set up two
years ago by the European Commission. She says, "We now have a
native testbed right across Europe, and many of the national
research networks, including the UK Education & Research
Networking Association, have deployed it."
When and why to deploy
For any company wanting to dip a toe in the IPv6 water now, there
are testbeds. Major suppliers of networking equipment have been
building it into their offerings and Microsoft is eagerly doing the
same.
IPv6 services, too, are beginning to appear. This month, NTT Europe
is launching a full commercial IPv6 service aimed at corporate
users, ISPs and research establishments, corporate users and
research centres.
Applications outside the enterprise could provide the initial
impetus for IPv6 adoption. Peter Hovell, IPv6 team leader at
BTexact Technologies, says, "Online gaming is going to be massive,
and then there are the set-top boxes and VCRs that you would
ideally like to be able to program remotely. With white goods such
as washing machines, it would be useful for engineers to gain
access remotely, particularly in countries where the equipment
tends to be rented."
Businesses need not face a Y2K-style panic, since IPv4 and IPv6 can
coexist. Nevertheless, some enterprises, such as those experiencing
difficulty with address space, will want to start their move sooner
rather than later.
"For companies operating globally it may make sense to migrate to
IPv6 in countries that are early adopters," Butler says. "It is
perfectly possible, for example, to run IPv6 in South America and
IPv4 in the rest of the world, and doing that could offer a useful
proving ground.
"Companies that have an extensive distribution of phones and
personal digital assistants will also want to watch the technology
especially closely."
Getting ready
For any organisation using IP networks, a smart move would be to
ensure that both strategists and techies are keeping an eye on
IPv6. "The point where it becomes cheaper to go to IPv6 than add
another layer of bodges to IPv4 will vary from organisation to
organisation," Hovell says.
"You need to be able to spot the right moment for yours, which will
take a bit of hands-on technical experience as well as theoretical
knowledge."
BTexact operates UK6x, an internet exchange for IPv6 that
organisations can use to conduct pilot projects. Barclays Bank is
one high-profile user of the service.
New purchases can also make it easier for your organisation to take
advantage of IPv6 in the future. When procuring new network
equipment, look for suppliers that already support IPv6 or have
tangible plans to do so.
"That should not cost you more," says Hovell. "Where deploying IPv6
will cost more is in the areas of training and improvements to
operational support systems, but those are often in need of
improvement anyway."
As well as suppliers of network kit, it makes sense to quiz service
providers and software suppliers, especially those producing
operating software, about their plans for adopting IPv6.
The move to IPv6 is likely to take place gradually over the next
few years - a five-year horizon is often mentioned - but with
companies as influential as Microsoft beginning to push, it could
be sooner. Being the first company with IPv6 is probably as
pointless as being the first person with a videophone, but you will
not want to be the last.
Larrinaga says, "Migration from IPv4 to IPv6 will require a large
number of IPv4 addresses, exacerbating the IPv4 address shortage.
And basic economics suggest that shortages put up prices." At that
point, there could be something to be said for being ahead of the
game.
Glossary
- Quality of service refers to the mechanisms in network software for prioritising different kinds of information - data, video, voice - into packets for sending over the internet
- MPLS - Multi Protocol Label Switching is a standard for extra-efficient routing of packets over the internet using tags that contain forwarding information
- Multicast is a method of transmitting information to more than one targeted recipient simultaneously.
Summary
- Internet Protocol version 6 is the 128-bit successor to the existing 32-bit IPv4
- IPv4 offers a maximum of approximately four billion IP addresses
- IPv6 will provide a virtually limitless supply of device addresses
- The continuing growth in the number of devices is driving the adoption of IPv6, particularly for companies doing business in regions where IPv4 is in short supply, such as the Far East and the developing world
- Experts say UK enterprises have no pressing need to adopt IPv6 but they should keep an eye on developments so they are ready to move when the time comes.
