Internet Society is organizing today 6 of June 2012 the World IPv6 Launch. This will not mean that we will close the Internet on the IPv4 protocol and transfer it to IPv6. It will also not mean that everyone needs to make the transition today. Most of you reading this is already ready to use IPv6. Most of modern computers are able to manage and configure they network interface cards (NIC) to both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses. But what is then IPv6 launch day? Big and important websites and Internet Service Providers participate in today’s day in the way that they will begin the transition from IPv4 and permanently enable IPv6.
Internet Protocol is currently using IPv4 and most people in the world are using it in this moment. We have on this blog all the articles about IP addressing and IP protocol. Basically this is identification system that is used by Internet to find the best routes across world biggest network and send information between end devices. In IPv4 there are four series of four numbers, each from 0 to 255 and they are assigned to each device connected to network. IPv4 allows something around 4.3 billion addresses. That seemed more than enough in 1983. Vint Cerf, Chief Internet Evangelist at Google, and a founding father of the Internet said that this amount of addresses seemed to be more than enough for all future usage. But who could have predicted such a rapid and wide expansion and today we are in the situation that the Internet needs more room than ever. We can say that today every device is connected to Internet: phones, computers, TVs, watches, cars, receivers, fridges, and every one of them needs his own address to be able to communicate. IPv6 is the answer for that problem, the new version of the IP Internet Protocol that is expanding the number of addresses to huge number, 340 trillion trillion trillion addresses. This number is something like this: 340,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. This protocol will enable future grow of Internet users and it will expand not only the number of supported users but also new technologies and innovative services.
When is the transition happening?
Google says that they believe IPv6 is essential to the continued health and growth of the Internet and that the World IPv6 Launch today marks the start of a coordinated transfering to IPv6 by major websites and Internet service and equipment providers.