Getting Ready for IPv6

   


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 Now

The 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:

  • Funding ”First and foremost, the system manager might have to secure additional funding to be able to carry out the transition of his systems and software to support IPv6.

  • Liaisons with the network manager ”The network manager will have all the information on when and how the company is planning to implement IPv6. The system manager cannot do very much if the routers can't handle the new addresses.

  • Vendor contacts ”The system manager must ensure that operating system vendors have included IPv6 support for their environments. This could be in the form of patches to the system software, or it might necessitate a system upgrade to a later version. Either way, the system manager will have to plan for the implementation.

  • Training ”The system manager should be identifying vendors that can supply relevant training for IP version 6. The training also needs to be assessed so that the members of staff can receive training before any implementation is in place.

  • Familiarity ”If a test network is set up within the company, the system manager should attempt to have a test system attached to it so that his staff can gain familiarity with the migration process and be better prepared for the actual transition when it happens.

Solaris 8 supports IPv6

Solaris 8 is the first version of the operating environment to fully support IP version 6.


  • Planning ”The system manager will have to plan the transition to IPv6 for all systems under his control. This includes replacement of current software and potentially the upgrade of the operating environment. Co-existence testing will be of particular importance, especially during the transition phase when the environment will contain a mixture of IPv4- and IPv6-aware systems.

  • Dissemination of information ”The system manager must ensure that the users are aware of what is being planned and of any possible effect that it might have on them. This might merely include details of the transition plan so that users know when the systems will be upgraded to support IPv6, or it might be that the users make network connections themselves , in which case more detailed information might be required.

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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Solaris System Management
Solaris System Management (New Riders Professional Library)
ISBN: 073571018X
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2001
Pages: 101
Authors: John Philcox

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