IPv6: What is it and why should you care

BANGALORE, INDIA: Discussions on IPv6 (read: IP Version 6) are hot in India now that Registry for Internet Names and Numbers (IRINN), a division of the National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI), has started issuing this next version of internet addresses. IRINN is currently offering these addresses for Rs 21,999, which is 60 per cent less from the existing A$1180 (or Rs 68,440) in the Asia Pacific region.

Let us now get to know some basic questions and their answers.

What is IPv6
IPv6 is the new Internet Protocol adopted globally as the new IP platform, designed to solve problems of IPv4, especially the shortage of IP address.

IPv6 currently allows 340 undecillion (2^128) addresses as compared to mere 4.30 billion IP addresses possible on IPv4

Also Read: IPv6 comes calling, Is anyone there?

Why is IPv6 important and why should you care?

Roy Illsley, Principal Analyst, Ovum, says: ""It is important because the world is becoming ever-more connected and as the number of internet enabled devices expands the address used to identify them will become exhausted. This is not as bad as it sounds, but we are reaching a point where some IP enabled sensors that are embedded in roads, shipping containers etc must be able to have a unique address in the future."

Also Read: IPv6 Q&A: What to expect?

Mahesh Gupta, vice president, Borderless Networks, Cisco India & SAARC
There has been a phenomenal increase in the number of devises connected to internet, across the globe. As people become more and more connected to information, electronic devices, and to one another, it is important to ensure that the underlying backbone can support this expansion. The current version of the internet, IPv4, is running out of addresses very quickly, therefore there is an immediate need to transition to the new IPv6 platform.

IPv6 extends us that flexibility, exponentially increasing the quantity of unique IP addresses available to networked devices to an almost infinite number, and providing us the foundation to radically change the way we communicate.

IPv6 is safer, cheaper and faster than IPv4?

It is reported that the new version will make it easy for security agencies to identify each internet user because unlike IPv4, where single IP is distributed to many, in IPv6 there are enough addresses to give one IP address to each new user.

Illsley opines: "I do not understand where that comes from. IPV6 just allows us to address more devices than IPv4, and as it is new, it is probably safer."

How can government ensure that products produced or imported in to the country are at least IPv6 enabled?

Illsley says: "The global body that looks after address allocation will ensure the new addresses are distributed. Most of the hardware produced today is dual stack and can support both IPv4 and IPv6. The switch over from 4 to 6 will be a long journey. Today we are IPv6 supported in a IPv4 world, at some point in the next 5 years we will see that switch to IPv6 world that supports IPv4. Most large organizations with large external facing networks are either on IPv6 or in the planning or execution phase. The rest of the network is less clear and we believe this will probably why it is seen as a 10 year project by many.

RBI wants banks to migrate to IPv6 by December 2012?

Illsley says: "Banks that offer Internet banking to its customers will need its external facing network IPv6 enabled so people with an IPv6 only device (not many if any currently on the market) can still access their on-line banking. The process of migrating the external facing network only is unlikely to be done on large networks as fast as this, first they would need to check all the hardware and software is IPv6 and IPv4 compliant, and replace upgrade any that is not. Then they need to decide on how they are going to operate both protocols

-The dual-stack approach is becoming the most widely used migration method.
-Using the translation approach to IPv6 migration is not a long-term solution.
-Tunneling techniques can make the migration process overly complex

Then they have to do all the work, I would estimate that for a big external facing network this would be at least a 6 month project, but that all depends on the number of resources used.

Challenges?

Gupta says: "IPv6 deployment is an enterprise-wide problem, covering not just networks and servers, but also desktops, applications, security, and other endpoints. The basic network infrastructure is the first priority, including IP addressing and routing protocols. Network services are next. Most of these functions are available in IPv6 implementations today. The challenge is mostly one of configuration and testing. However, some network services, especially security, rely heavily on IPv4 packet header information, and require modifications to provide the same level of service in IPv6."

How should one migrate?

Gupta says: "Transitioning to IPv6 from IPv4 will involve compatibility issues. A three phased approach for a successful transition:
Preserve your current investment by auditing the existing system; then
Prepare by making a plan and starting a managed migration, even if only in one focused part of the network; this ensures one will
Prosper through the transition to a full IPv6-enabled Internet experience."

How is IPv6 better than IPv4?

Gupta says: "Increasingly, vendor applications prefer IPv6 over IPv4, even if they have to tunnel it for reasons such as:.
*IPv6 enables enhanced peer-to-peer communication tools that improve interagency collaboration.
*IPv6 can support multicast, unlike IPv4 which cannot due to its addressing constraints.
IPv6's nearly infinite capacity for addresses lends connectivity to myriad electronic devices, not merely mobile phones and laptops, but also in-vehicle computers, televisions, and cameras.
*IPv6 is inherently less vulnerable to scanning attacks than IPv4 and possesses native capabilities for packet integrity. Additionally, it mandates that security is provided through information encryption and source authentication.
*IPv6 auto-configures new equipment to communicate with the network once it is detected, which means devices are ready to use right when needed.
*IPv6 removes the need for network address translation (NAT), a time consuming; problematic technology that offers a work-around solution to IPv4's addressing shortcomings.
*IPv6 promises advances in communications technologies, making them easier to use and bringing more robust collaborative capabilities to the marketplace. Essentially, IPv6 can overcome the limitations of IPv4 and reclaim the original intent of the global, end-to-end Internet model.