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Have you noticed the the IP (Internet Protocol) address of your PC? It's a set of numbers that gives your computer a distinct identity. That is the address of your computing device in the virtual world. This Protocol enables your device to communicate and interact with similar ones in cyberspace.
As widely reported, the present version IPv4 (IP Version 4) for the Internet is running out of address space. The current version provides an approximate 4.3 billion unique address spaces.
We can draw comparisons with the growth of population. We need to factor in the teeming millions as we prepare blueprints for infrastructure and food.
“The address space used by IPv4 is expected to run out in 2011. Without action, we risk increased costs and limited functionality online for Internet users everywhere. The only long-term solution to this problem is adoption of IPv6, which provides over four billion times more space,” Wende Cover, spokesperson of Internet Society (ISOC), tells eWorld.
ISOC, a not-for-profit organisation, drives discussion on key challenges facing the Internet and rallies stakeholders to find the solutions.
The main limitation is the lack of Internet addresses for the billions of people not yet online. With more space, Internet addresses will enable connecting new mobile computing devices, Smart Grid technology, and even multiple components within an automobile, ISOC says.
IPv6 Day
World IPv6 Day was marked on June 6, wherein a global-scale test of IPv6 was conducted to ensure a smooth transition from IPv4. IPv6 is used extensively in many large networks, and is supported by computer operating systems used by people around the world, ISOC says.
More than 400 organisations participated, including Google, Facebook, Yahoo!, YouTube and Akamai. The test was successful and World IPv6 Day helped demonstrate that major web sites around the world are well-positioned for the move to a global IPv6-enabled Internet, it says.
Yahoo ready
Yahoo! says it is among the digital organisations that have realised the importance of the new version and put in systems to be compliant with it.
“We are ready to collaborate with the technical community and provide leadership in addressing the scaling challenges facing the Internet today. As the present version is running out this year, we are working with other industry leaders to drive adoption globally, including India,” says Suresh Hosakoppal, Vice-President, Service Engineering & Operations, Yahoo!.
“Our participation in World IPv6 Day helped us obtain real-life data that can be used to ensure a seamless user experience in time to come, as we have transitioned to IPv6,” he says.
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