Are You Ready For IPv6?

[Renew Deal]

Yes, perhaps you've heard this alarm before. But this time it's really true. The last large blocks of IP addresses were allocated by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) on February 1st, 2011. No need to worry, though.

You'll still get an IP address and everything will be fine, most likely. Your ISP (and your smartphone's data carrier) already has large blocks of IP addresses assigned to them, and will assign one to your device when needed. The problem is that the number of devices connected to the Internet cannot keep on growing once all the IP addresses are used up.

Your ISP, in order to add new customers like you, will need more IP addresses. New businesses, government agencies, and other large organizations need blocks of IP addresses. Fortunately, the uber-geeks who run the Internet are on top of the situation.

Currently, the Internet operates on Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4), which can handle up to about 4.3 billion IP addresses. It is time for the entire Internet to switch over to IPv6, which supports enough IP addresses to give every person on Earth several billion IP addresses of his or her very own. There's more to like about IPv6, too.
<snip>

http://askbobrankin.com/the_internet_is_full_go_away.html

Another heads up on the IP issue. This will affect us all in the near future. IPv6 Day is coming on June 8, 2011. That's the day a lot of the big sites will turn on their IPv6.

http://test-ipv6.com/ipv6day.html

[frylock]

1. evidently not

:scared:

[givemebackmycountry]

2. Oh God, here we go again.

Everyone remain calm.

[AC_Mem]

3. I work for a telecom company

We have been preparing for ipv6 for over 5 years. They do not appear to be concerned at all; it was completely expected.

I'm not an expert in this, I just work for upper management and asked. They sent out a large email explaning ipv6, what it means and how we have been prepared and will have no issues. It will not effect our business, raise our prices or affect our customers.

Annette

[Renew Deal]

4. Get your Windows networks IPv6-ready -- while you still can

The day has finally arrived -- IPv4 addresses have run out. When the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) started handing out IP addresses, they had about 4.3 billion to disperse. Sounds like a lot, right? But when you consider there are 7 billion humans on the planet, with people in developed nations needing two or more devices with an address each, you can see how this number might become depleted.

Of course, IANA anticipated this depletion and created a new flavor of IP (version 6, or iPv6) in 1995 that will allow for trillions upon trillions of addresses, thanks to its 128-bit address length (versus IPv4's 32-bit length). And IPv6 is more than just an address expansion upgrade: It includes built-in IPSec security and easier management through autoconfiguration of devices. But now that IPv4 addresses are depleted, what's a Windows network administrators to do?

Most Windows PCs and servers are IPv6-enabled
The good news is that Microsoft and others started working on implementing IPv6 quite some time ago. In 1998, Microsoft released its first trial IPv6 protocol stack for Windows 95 and 98, though its capabilities were limited. Windows 2000 saw an IPv6 Technology Preview program that was also limited in capability and is no longer supported.

Windows XP had an optional IPv6 stack, but it wasn't until Windows XP SP1 that Microsoft released a production-quality IPv6 version. XP SP2's Advanced Networking Pack added simultaneous firewall support for IPv4 and IPv6, so PCs using both protocols were protected via the same firewall. Windows Server 2003 SP1 has the same pack.
<snip>

http://www.infoworld.com/d/windows/get-your-windows-networks-ipv6-ready-while-you-still-can-833

[elias49]

5. Won't IPv6 create security issues?

My PC doesn't 'appear' to exist on the internet because NAT - 'network address translation' - essentially gives me an imaginary address....my 'existence' stops at the router (or modem). In other words, once data reaches my house it's dispatched into the dark side of the router. With IPv4, millions of people 'share' the same IP address that I use....usually something like 192.168.1.100.
With IPv6, each individual PC would have it's own personal IP address, connected - I guess - to the MAC address of my hardware.
It seems to me that when my PC gets its own 'real' address, the threat of hacking (No. I don't really worry about it - I don't have a whole lot to hide), phishing, and just plain identification becomes problematic.
If I were to download a song from some internet site (would I do such a thing?) it seems that with IPv6 enabled, someone wanting to know who got that song would know EXACTLY who 'got that song'. With IPv4, and an imaginary address, the only thing anyone would know is that the offender (me) was connected to a Fairpoint server somewhere. A lot harded to track to my door.

Someone help me out here...?

[BeFree]

6. Danger zone, indeed

Someone will be able to block your individual address, hack it, or otherwise bleed it dry.

It is a dream come true for ultimate control over everybody and their computers.

Don't think it's headed that way now? You haven't been paying attention, then.

[Renew Deal]

8. Is it really different than hacking a router or another piece of technology on the network?

This can already be done through network equipment and servers. The only difference is that the path to the client is clearer, but I'm not sure if that matters.

[BeFree]

9. I dunno

But what they want is to be able to say that you are a number, and you can bet they will get their way one day.

[Renew Deal]

10. Who is they?

This seems very conspiratorial when in reality it's just a technological problem.

[BeFree]

11. Who is they?

They are the people that want your money or your life and they have positioned themselves to be able to do so at their whim.

What? You don't think there are people who desire such?

[Renew Deal]

12. I know they exist

But there is a clear separation between technological standards, network managers, and those that "want your money."

The guys that create this technology are completely innocent. They try to create the most efficient and secure system possible. It's up to network managers to deploy that system in a secure way with the needs of their users in mind. Those that "want your money" will do the best to exploit the technology. This is a complicated game of rock, paper, scissors, but I truly feel that the network managers are more powerful than the other two if they have the users best interests in mind.

[BeFree]

13. If true

This idea that: "...the network managers are more powerful ..."

Why do I get so much spam? The only way to keep them separate from my money now is delete the crap. But if I am singled out, like the way flash does to some extent, then they will be all over me like bark on a tree.

This is a dangerous era we are coming upon. Sure, I could drop the computer altogether, but what fun would that be?

[Renew Deal]

7. NAT will still be available

And routers would still do the job of allowing specific traffic in or out. The argument is that NAT is a necessary relic of the IPv4 limitations. Since NAT can be troublesome and there's a sufficient amount of addresses, NAT should no longer be necessary. It's sort of back to the future.

My preference is to keep NAT working for the reasons you mentioned knowing that it isn't technically necessary.

Here's an article that describes the NAT issues: http://ipv6.com/articles/nat/NAT-In-Depth.htm

[elias49]

14. Thanks for the link. nt