World IPv6 day.

[Steve]

http://www.itpro.co.uk/634048/tech-giants-join-in-world-ipv6-day


You shouldn't notice any difference unless your equipment thinks it's running IPv6 but it's not configured correctly,in this situation it may not fall back to IPv4

[Inkblot]

I've seen this mentioned in a number of places but have to ask how important IPv6 is to an existing small business - for example a business like the one I work at that has 4 sites all with Internet connections and some VPN tunnels between them. I have no need to use IPv6 internally and have static IPv4 addresses on all of my routers. I know that further down the line if we open another site we may only be able to get IPv6 and that will require all of the existing sites to upgrade but will that be difficult? Surely, all I will need is new kit (Possibly), new IPv6 addresses for each site from the ISPs and then to reconfigure the VPNs or am I missing something?

I understand the necessity for IPv6 to be introduced and know that there are likely to be compatibility issues but outside of ISPs, network engineers and very large companies is there much to get excited about 

[john]

A bit more on this here

IPv4 was conceived in the early 1980s as a way of identifying individual connections to a computer network.

It is typically made up of 32 bits, written as 12 digits, e.g. 112.233.189.123.

That gives a maximum of around 4.3bn addresses.

However, the rapid growth in PCs, smartphones and other internet connected devices means those addresses are close to being used up, with an estimated 80 million still to be allocated.

IPv6 is a 128bit system, written in hexadecimal (base 16 counting using numbers and letters), e.g. 21DA:00D3:0000:2F3B:02AA:00FF:FE28:9C5A.

The system gives a maximum of 340 undecillion possible addresses (1 undecillion = 10 followed by 35 zeros in the British numbering system).

The additional capacity, argue proponents of IPv6, will be needed to cater to the so-called "internet of things" where devices such as TVs, fridges and home heating systems are connected to the net.

[Steve]

I understand the necessity for IPv6 to be introduced and know that there are likely to be compatibility issues but outside of ISPs, network engineers and very large companies is there much to get excited about 

I don't think there is a lot too get excited about, I suppose one day as the IPv6 internet grows we're going to miss out if your IPv4 only. New IPv4 addresses are no longer available and I understand that as old ones are re-released the cost of these will increase so the change over is inevitable on economic grounds.