Companies are being urged to pilot Internet Protocol
version 6 as the next-generation networking standard is
increasingly included in desktop operating systems.
Systems such as Windows Vista, XP SP2, Linux and Mac OS X run
both IP version 6, and the current IP version 4. But since network
equipment and host devices such as laser printers and file servers
are only configured to use IPv4, the new protocol remains largely
unused.
However, the replacement of IPv4 has begun and users will
eventually need to migrate, warned Michael Disablo, vice-president
and service director at analyst firm Burton Group.
He recommended users begin trialling IPv6 by enabling it in a
few network routers to see how it runs on the corporate network.
“It is essential to plan for IPv6. Eventually you will need to
upgrade.”
Neil Rickard, research vice-president at Gartner, said,
“Migrating to IPv6 is a huge undertaking, at least as big and
complicated as Y2K projects, if not more so.”
It is essential for users to audit all their network hardware
and servers to see whether they need to be upgraded or configured
for IPv6, particularly security systems.
Burton Group said, “Some firewalls support IPv6; others support
IPv6 only in software; still others plan IPv6 support for the near
future – usually by 2008.”