What the heck is IPV6?

During August 2012 the new internet will be ready to change the way addressing and content will be delivered. IPV6 is a new addressing protocol that will replace the current IPV4 scheme. A typical IP address is 192.168.0.1 and is what the internet uses to move data between devices and servers.

IPV4 was developed in 1981 as a 32 bit addressing scheme which can provide 4.3 billion IP addresses. Today there are more than 2 billion internet devices that require an IP address in order to communicate on the internet. To plan for the upcoming explosive growth a new protocol called IPV6 was developed. This will provide for a 128 bit scheme that will have 340 to the 46th IP addresses. My calculator gave up. But it’s probably trillions of addresses, so we should be good for the next 20 years.

Many ISP and carriers are planning to be ready for the transition. IPV4 is not interoperable with IPV6 so to implement it requires a parallel internet network. Carriers will need two networks to run, but the good news is it will be transparent as many newer devices are IPV6 compatible already. If you are accessing an internet site that has addresses in the new format then the network will carry your data back and forth with no concern.

The national resource organization claims that the current IPV4 addresses will run out by end of 2012 and by then all broadband carriers will have developed their parallel networks to accommodate the new addressing scheme.