The Internet is growing at a phenomenal rate, probably much faster than many have anticipated. The enormous increase in Internet usage has come about mainly because of the e-commerce revolution and the desire of virtually every business to have a presence on the World Wide Web. There has also been a huge increase in the number of home users connecting to the Internet. IPv6 is going to happen. It is not merely a suggestion that has been proposed, it is necessary to allow the Internet to continue to develop and to handle the future requirements of its users. As with the Y2K problem, there is no choice about whether to implement the changes; the only advantage over Y2K is that the date when everything happens is not fixed, so a phased transition can be applied to the whole scenario. What You Should Be Doing NowThe system manager will not be directly responsible for the implementation of IPv6 within the organizational network ”that task will be the responsibility of the network manager ”but the system manager will be responsible for ensuring that all the systems under his control are IPv6-compatible. A further consideration that must be taken into account is the use of any distributed software applications. These also will require modification, in some cases, to interpret the new address structure. The system manager should be actively pursuing the following:
Solaris 8 supports IPv6 Solaris 8 is the first version of the operating environment to fully support IP version 6.
Of course, it is not known exactly when the final change to IPv6 will occur or when IPv4 will cease to be used. It is safe to assume, however, that both IPv4 and IPv6 will co-exist for a number of years, making the transition a gradual one. Planning for a target date of, say, five years is probably reasonable. Many vendors ”including Sun, Cisco, and Microsoft ”have implemented or are implementing a dual IP stack in which both protocols are supported. This allows applications to migrate one at a time to IPv6. The system manager should take his lead from the network manager, who will be responsible for the migration of the network infrastructure and who will also have access to the most recent information on developments. Meanwhile, any future upgrades, or new systems, should now include IPv6 as a standard requirement. How Does This Affect You?The transition to IPv6 has been designed so that it can be carried out in a piecemeal fashion, making it easier for companies to migrate while still supporting the current IP addressing structure. From an end- user perspective, the transition will be virtually transparent, with no noticeable effects on the functions carried out. For the system manager, however, the transition will cost money, take time, and require careful planning (and a close liaison with the network manager). It also will require replacement software and retraining of staff members. Probably the most significant effect on the system manager will come during the actual period of transition, when some of the systems have been converted to IPv6 and some are still using IPv4. During this time, there will undoubtedly be "teething problems" requiring extra effort to ensure that the operation continues to run smoothly. What Are Other Vendors Doing? Cisco has produced a detailed IPv6 statement of direction paper, which can be found at the Web site http://www.cisco.com. IPv6 is being implemented in a three-phase plan for Cisco IOS software, starting in the fall of 2000. Microsoft also has released code for its IPv6 implementation to aid developers and testers in their migration plans. Most of the major vendors now support IPv6, particularly tunneling, which allows IPv6 packets to be transmitted over IPv4 networks. The effect of IPv6, though, is not entirely negative. The system manager will gain some immediate benefits, such as more efficient network usage, increased security, and easier administration. The alternative to converting to IPv6 is that a company eventually will be isolated and prohibited from participating in the future development and expansion of business on the Internet. |
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