Migration Expert Zone

The opening paragraph of a Microsoft Windows Server® 2008 White Paper entitled “IPv6 Transition Technologies” begins by warning us that, “Protocol transitions are not easy and the transition from IPv4 to IPv6 is no exception.”  That same paragraph concludes with the important observation, “Additionally, given the scope of the Internet, rapid protocol transition from IPv4 to IPv6 is an impossible task.”

That white paper was written in 2003 and updated with the release of Windows Server® 2008. 

While those two statements are still undeniably true, Microsoft’s more recent TechNet article, simply titled “IPv6,” now sounds far more enthusiastic, perhaps reflecting the increasing urgency of the transition. The new piece says:

“Microsoft and other major technology companies have been working behind the scenes for years to deliver a smooth transition from IPv4 to IPv6, in effect an upgrade of the entire Internet, and we continue to lead in the development of this new standard. Microsoft has been developing IPv6 for many years, with IPv6 support built into Microsoft Windows, including Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. Microsoft is committed to expanding the worldwide capabilities of the Internet through IPv6 and enabling a variety of valuable and exciting scenarios, including peer-to-peer and mobile applications.”

We’ll be talking more and more about the migration from IPv4 to IPv6 over the next several years, so by way of introduction let’s start with the fact that the Internet has run out of addresses.  No need to panic, this simply means that ICANN, the Internet Corportation for Assigned Names and Numbers, handed out the last available blocks of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses to their five Regional Internet Registries back in the beginning of 2011. 

IP addresses are groups of four numbers separated by periods, and every Internet host needs to have one.  Domain Name Service (DNS) allows people to use recognizable addresses which it then resolves into an IP address.  For example, when you go to www.migrationexpertzone.com, DNS connects you to 209.35.17.17, our IP address. 

With this original 32-bit addressing structure, there are about 4.3 billion possible combinations, which have now all been assigned.  Back in 1995, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) began work on a new 128-bit addressing structure which would provide 3.4 undecillion addresses (imagine 3.4 followed by 38 zeroes…) 

With the explosion of new devices requiring an IP address in the new “Internet of Things,” the need for a virtually unlimited number of addresses becomes even more imperative. Home entertainment centers, automobiles, even refrigerators and other home appliances are now becoming Internet-accessible, and they require unique addresses.

Transitioning from IPv4 to IPv6 will not be simple, nor will it happen all at once.  First, there will be a transition to having both running on your network.  This will be accomplished either through a “dual-stack” strategy in which both coexist, or through “tunneling,” in which IPv6 traffic is encapsulated in IPv4 packets. Each of these and the several others that will undoubtedly emerge, will be covered in future posts.

What is clear is that the major manufacturers and software providers have recognized the urgency and are delivering resources to ease the migration.  A very useful IP Configuration Migration Guide is available from Microsoft|TechNet. Check it out and let us know what your IPv6 migration plans are!