IPv6 in june?!

[Technical Ben]

Apparently June the 8th is the testing day for the big wigs to start using IPv6.
http://isoc.org/wp/newsletter/?p=2902

This migration is needed, as the 4,294,967,296 addresses available in IPv4 are due to run out this year*. As the rate of new websites and webpages just keeps increasing.
IPv6 has so many addresses available, that I cannot write down the number. It can only be expressed in the form of 3.4×10³⁸. That is 34 followed by 38 zeros. Hopefully plenty to go around.

I know the plans for the uk ISPs are in the works as well. To test your computer, this website will see if you can load IPv6 websites. http://isoc.org/wp/newsletter/?p=2902
I don't think BT/IDNet have IPv6 set up yet though. (Or it might just be my computer)




_{*Not all addresses are used for the internet. Some are reserved for home networks or government use etc.}

[Bill]

I don't think BT/IDNet have IPv6 set up yet though. (Or it might just be my computer)

I'm using it

It's more likely to be your router than your computer, just about all modern OS's support it (to varying degrees).

[Technical Ben]

Ooooh. I noticed my pc has IPv6 protocol installed. But no idea how or if my router is up to the job. I'll look into flashing another time.

[Bill]

I'm using it on the Mac (and Airport Extreme) with a 6to4 tunnel- it embeds IPv6 packets into an IPv4 one and sends them over the IPv4 internet.

Works well enough, except for an Apple-introduced "feature" which means it defaults to IPv4 instead of IPv6 if it finds a url which is set up for both.

Haven't yet got the nerve (or knowledge) to try native IPv6... I'll let someone else try that first and then tell me how to do it

[Technical Ben]

Well, it does not count if your cheating. 

[Bill]

I saw somewhere that over 90% of the non-business computers with IPv6 connectivity were using 6to4 tunnels, no idea how true it is.

Main advantage is (if I've read it right) that you can use a 3rd party tunnel with an ordinary IPv4 router (the tunnel is built-in to mine) and it's a piece of cake to set up. It does need a certain amount of "co-operation" from the ISP, in particular I think they have to have IPv6-aware DNS, but until v6 becomes a LOT more widespread then going for native IPv6 simply isn't worth the hassle for most people (and a lot of ISPs I'd guess!)

[pctech]

You can also set up a tunnel in Windows to do it if your router won't