IPv4 or IPv6 -- Myths and Realities

The year is 1977. Earth's population has not yet reached 4.5 billion. One hundred and eleven interconnected computing machines make up the ARPANET, a research network.

Thirty years later, in 2008, Earth's population peaks at 6.6 billion and the Internet, with a population of 1.3 billion, has yet to reach 22 percent penetration rate, the threshold that qualifies it as a massively adopted technology. While arguing about the lifetime scope of the available IPv4 address space, the Internet community aggressively pursues a massive convergence of communication technologies (audio, data, video, and voice) over IP. The community is still debating the urgency of an upgrade to IPv6.

In the year 2030, Earth's population is expected to be over 8 billion, adding nearly 75 million people every year, or twice the population of the state of California. The Internet is an integral part of the worldwide economy and everybody's life. The old IPv4 versus IPv6 debate is now history.

The Business Case for IPv6
To a large degree, mass adoption of new technology is fueled by a person's vision of "What's in it for me?" Can the new technology improve my business operations? Can I use it to provide a new profitable service? Is adoption needed to stay competitive? Will the new technology enrich my personal life? At the end of the 70s, few of the IP designers envisioned the rapid and widespread adoption of IP; IP became the convergence layer for communication services in many industry segments such as home, mobile wireless, transportation, media, and many others. This convergence, along with a plethora of new Internetenabled devices, provides a fertile and unexpected foundation for innovation that far exceeds the original design constructs. Information movement is now the game, and content is king.

So is an Internet upgrade necessary to sustain the growth of the future and to interconnect all the devices of the new global economy? Will IPv6 provide the fire to fuel the growth? Before debating the pros and cons of the new IP version, let's look at the historical perspective of IPv6 and its development.

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About the book:
Every year, organizations rely on Internet applications and services more deeply–and every year, Internet infrastructure grows more powerful and complex. As the limitations of traditional IPv4 addressing become increasingly apparent, many decision makers recognize that a transition to IPv6 is needed far sooner than anticipated. Global IPv6 Strategies gives non-technical decision makers the information to plan and execute an orderly, efficient migration to IPv6–and reap the business benefits.

The authors offer practical scenarios, proven best practices, and real-world case studies drawn from their unsurpassed experience helping enterprises and service providers move to IPv6. Writing for non-technical decision makers, they systematically review the costs, benefits, impacts and opportunities associated with IPv6 migration. Their insights and strategies can help you address both the technical side of IPv6 and the rarely discussed organizational issues that can make or break your transition.

About the authors:
Patrick Grossetete, manager of Product Management at Cisco, is responsible for key Cisco IOS software technologies including IPv6 and IP Mobility. A member of the IPv6 Forum Technical Directorate, he has been honored with the IPv6 Forum Internet Pioneer Award.

Ciprian P. Popoviciu, PhD, CCIE No. 4499, technical leader at Cisco, focuses on architecting, designing, and testing large IPv6 network deployments for service providers and enterprises worldwide. Grossetete and Popoviciu co-authored Deploying IPv6 Networks (Cisco Press).

Fred Wettling manages architecture and strategic planning for Bechtel. Wettling is a member of the IEEE, North American IPv6 Task Force, and IPv6 Forum; directs the IPv6 Business Council; chaired the Network Applications Consortium (NAC); and served on the President's National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee Next Generation Network Task Force.

Read the rest of the excerpt in this PDF: IPv4 or IPv6 -- Myths and Realities

Excerpted from Global IPv6 Strategies: From Business Analysis to Operational Planning by Patrick Grossetete, Ciprian P. Popoviciu and Fred Wettling (IBSN: 1587053438).

Copyright © 2008, Cisco Press. All rights reserved.

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