What is it?
Internet Protocol version
6 (IPv6)is a network layer protocol for
packet-switched networks. It is designated as the successor to
IPv4, the current version of IP, for general use on the internet.
It is being included in all new mainstream operating systems,
includingWindows
Vista.
Approaches to IPv6 vary around the world. The
US Department of Defense wants its contractors and itself to
support IPv6 by 2008. The US government has bought 247 billion IPv6
addresses, and Bechtel and
Lockheed Martin are both implementing IPv6. China is in the
middle of a five-year migration, and other Asia-Pacific countries
are giving it priority.
But the European Union has done little more than fund task
forces, and the UK government's policy is "for a gradual migration
to IPv6, maintaining co-existence with IPv4 and to procure dual
IPv4 and IPv6-enabled products when it is cost effective to do
so".
It has been estimated that the transition will cost £33bn, and
the likelihood is that it will take place gradually as network
infrastructures are replaced. Some carriers are installing
dual-protocol networks, and the expectation is that IPv4 and IPv6
will coexist for a long time.
Where did it originate?
Work began on the successor to IPv4 in the early 1990s. IPv6 has
been with us since the late 1990s, and it was first implemented in
Linux and IBM's AIX.
What's it for?
The most obvious benefit of IPv6 is the increase in the number
of IP addresses. IPv4, with 32-bit address spaces, provides four
billion addresses. Predictions for when addresses will run out vary
from 2010 to 2020, with the possibility of extending the life of
IPv4 by recycling unused addresses.
IPv6 brings 128-bit addresses, expanding the potential to
trillions to take account of a world filled with internet-enabled
devices.
More recently, the emphasis has shifted to the benefits of
end-to-end connectivity and end-to-end security through IPsec - the
integral security capabilities that had to be tacked on to
IPv4.
What makes it special?
Virtual
private networks, voice
over IP and peer-to-peer networking should all be more powerful
and manageable under IPv6.
IPv6 has been described as a step back to a simpler, cheaper
network, but the transition is shaping up to be neither simple or
cheap.
How difficult is it to master?
IPv4 practitioners can learn IPv6 on a four-day course. IPv6 is
described as "a conservative extension" of IPv4, not a
revolutionary replacement.However, users of Vista have found the
transition is more complicated than this would suggest. Microsoft
recommends that users spend at least a year testing IPv4 and IPv6
coexistence before putting it into production, and a similar length
of time familiarising themselves with IPv6 to reap the full
benefits.
People with transition experience are going to be in demand.
What systems does it run on?
Most new IT communications equipment, and all mainstream
operating systems support IPv6. There are problems with file and
print tasks involving devices that do not support it.
What's coming up?
Windows Server 2008 will be IPv6-enabled, providing IPv6 support
to Exchange.
Training
Training is available from major equipment suppliers, their
partners and many independent training companies. The UK IPv6
Task Force has good resources on
the internet.
Rates of pay
Junior IP network engineers can earn from £25,000. Senior
engineers and network architects can command salaries of £50,000 or
more.