Helpful Resources for the IPv6 Transition

This Wednesday is IPv6 Launch Day, which marks the unofficial kickoff for the Internet transition from IPv4 to IPv6, which will dramatically expand the number of addresses available for web sites, as well as millions of mobile devices with Internet access. Last year's initial event generated widespread coverage in the technology press, achieving a secondary goal of raising awareness of the pending exhaustion of IPv4 and the need for stragglers to implement support for IPv6. Here are some Industry Perspectives columns on the topic that may prove helpful to companies and providers working on the IPv6 transition.

• How to Make A Seamless Switch to IPv6: From Yanick Pouffary, a distinguished technologist & chief architect in the office of the CTO within HP Technology Services. "When starting the IPv6 transition, organizations must begin by evaluating the impact of the transition on their networks and IT environment to ensure business continuity. This requires a network readiness assessment and taking stock of any equipment that may already be IPv6 compatible, which would inevitably reduce cost. The next step is to identify logical entry points which show a high rate of return, such as a customer-facing website or business-to-business communications."
• Data Centers & IPv6: Why It Matters to You - An overview from Richard Donaldson, CEO and founder of 6connect: "This evolution will require an entirely new paradigm of IP resource management and will affect all things wishing to communicate via the Internet – including everything inside your data center from HVACs to lights, security to VFDs. Simply put, this protocol is something you need to know about, even if you don’t need to become a network engineer."
• What Does IPv6 Mean to Your Network? - Peter Newton of NetGear writes about networking equipment and IPv6: " Unfortunately, there exists a huge installed base of networking equipment that is not capable of communicating via the IPv6 protocol. As reports of the exhaustion of IPv4 addresses sound the alarm about a coming catastrophe, let’s examine the issue and how it will impact small and mid-size businesses."