Network Architecture considerations in light of IPv6

IPv4 addressing space is running out.

Even though IPv6 has been ready for deployment since 1998, it’s still a way from full adoption.

We’re now reaching a point where IPv6 adoption has become inevitable.

But if the switch to IPv6 is as inevitable and urgent as we’ve been told, then why are we still using IPv4 technology nearly twenty years later?

The internet currently operates through technologies like Network Address Translation (NAT) that allow several devices to share a single public IPv4 address.

IPv6 is becoming unavoidable because of the dramatic increase in address usage with the implementation of IoT technology and the continued growth of the internet around the globe.

More and more carriers around the world are switching to IPv6-only addressing – meaning that any applications that don’t work on IPv6 will simply not be able to function for those networks

Apple shifted to an exclusively IPv6 Network Architecture with the release of iOS 9..

Many other major players are coming to the same conclusion, as everyone from Google, to Facebook, to Cisco, to AT&T are already making preparations for IPv6 functionality.

What is being done about the IP shift?

What are the differences between IPv4 and IPv6?

Many networks today use Dual Stack deployment models, which increase demand on your network environment from using two separate addressing protocols.

In conjunction with the inherent limitations of IPv4, this is a counter-productive solution.

IPv6 also includes built-in IPsec features, so overlaying security protocols on top of your IP is quite likely a thing of the past – it’s not hard-coded into the protocol, but will make incorporating security and encryption measures a far easier practice.

How will Network Architecture be affected by IPv6?

IPv6 is, by no means, a brand-new technology. Its official launch was more than three years ago, and its inception happened nearly two decades in the past.

We’ve all had ample warning that we’d be re-thinking our Network Architecture with the arrival of IPv6.

For those who heeded the warnings in time, the transition to IPv6 could be a much smoother one, as changes to Network Architecture and capacity planning methods could easily have been made incrementally since the announcement of IPv6.

Being well-prepared is always the best defence

Shifting to IPv6 is no trivial matter.

Partnering with a service provider that understands the importance of shifting to IPv6, and one that can provide you with the tools you need to make the transition as smooth as possible should be your first port of call.

IRIS offers IP management tools that cater to both IPv4 and IPv6 frameworks, and have the expertise and experience to help you gear your network for the future.

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