We saw the IPv6 Christmas tree last holiday season. Did you ping a packet at this Charlie Brown tree set up by De Oranjerie, a Belgium all-ages computer learning center? If you did, you used a packet configuration to light the colored LED bulb of your choice!
2001:6a8:28c0:2017::AA:BB:CC for HTML Color #AABBCC
2001:6a8:28c0:2017::FF:00:00 for color RED
2001:6a8:28c0:2017::00:FF:00 for color GREEN
2001:6a8:28c0:2017::00:00:FF for color BLUE
2001:6a8:28c0:2017::FF:FF:FF for color WHITE
… and so on…
‘Tis the Season for IPv6
This is what a 128-bit IP address can do for your networking; that and eliminating NAT translations and all the related overhead from scarcity of IPv4 addresses. Global networking organizations have urged companies to level up from 32-bit IPv4 standard for several years; the U.S. Dept of Commerce first issued a IPv6 changeover memorandum in 2004 but adoption has been somewhat sluggish.
“Many people have older equipment that will not handle the larger IP addresses or they’re afraid networking will slow with the larger address and concomitant larger cache and buffers needed for the larger address,” says Scott Padgett, Newegg’s field service engineer. “Why do you think companies (and you at home) use non routable 192.168.x.x or 10.10.x.x addresses? There aren’t enough to give everyone their own device IP.”
Google tracks IPv6 implementation worldwide by the percentage of users accessing its servers with the protocol.
Google IPv6 use monitoring – Real time data at https://www.google.com/intl/en/ipv6/statistics.html
The data shows a nice curve, but it shows most users taking a wait-and-see approach to the protocol.
Almost all new equipment can handle IPV6, the problem is the reconfiguration. “It’s not rocket science but it’s time consuming,” Padgett says. “For example, with IPv6, you would want to turn off NAT on your home router and DHCP, probably.” Home users likely do not know how or why to do this; for professionals it would involve re-configuring every router or switch in the network.
Moving to IPv6 isn’t expected to be a rapid process. “Imagine changing the network configuration on every switch, router and firewall on the planet,” Padgett explains. “Changeover will not be simple.”
Feeling the IPv6 spirit this holiday season? See and compare IPv6 routers on NeweggBusiness
