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An Introduction to IPv6

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the unless-you're-to-smart-for-it dept.

Playboy writes "Here is a great introduction to IPv6 in general, the technological background, the reasons for the move and the effects this will have on networks. Understandable for network novices like me but still includes many details on the technological side of things."

11 of 352 comments (clear)

  1. Not a bad start...but a couple of things on IPv6.. by Agent+Green · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's not a bad introduction, but since this is slashdot, I've got a couple of things that I want to point out:

    The article suggests that DHCP will no longer be necessary. This is not necessarily true. IPv6 autoconfiguration will get you an address to get onto the net at large, but it will not give you your DNS servers, time servers, or any number of goodies that DHCP is capable of serving up. Autoconfiguration does remove the neeed to define all kinds of crazy scopes, but it doesn't help with other configurable options.

    There is exists a problem with multihoming small entities that need provider diversity in IPv6. Some companies are assigning each customer their own NLA, or /48s, giving the customer 16 bits of addressing power. However, customers of Tier 2 ISPs will only get a couple SLAs or so. If I am a small business with one of the SLAs, there is still the problem of BGP multihoming with this address space, and this absolutely needs to be resolved in the not-so-distant future. I don't think there's a facility where I can go to ARIN and request my own /48 to annouce, say, between Level 3, MCI, and AT&T. While this might not make a difference to most people, it is a problem on the transport side of the house.

    --
    // Agent Green (Ian / IU7 / KB1JQO)
    // IEEE 802.3: All 10base Are Belong To Us
  2. idiot by BoldAC · · Score: 5, Funny

    I didn't understand why we needed IP6 until one of the guys at work described why he wanted each of his light switches to have its own IP address...

    Idiots... ...that's why we need IP6.

    (just kidding, boss)

    AC

  3. Poor planning by MikeMacK · · Score: 5, Insightful
    The simple answer is that it is due to the very poor planning in the creation and implementation of IPv4 coupled with the unexpected explosive expansion of the internet.

    Was it poor planning? The article states that there was an unexpected explosive expansion of the Internet. I believe it's like the Y2K problem, they didn't think their programs would still be in use around 2000, so they only needed to store a two digit year. The same happened here, they didn't realize the Internet would become the World Wide Web, the New Economy, etc. Hell, even Bill Gates didn't see it coming.

  4. IPv6 by 2008? Who's he kidding? by BridgeBum · · Score: 5, Interesting

    If this is a measure of when people will start using IPv6, the answer is today. It's already there. Every major TCP/IP stack out there supports IPv6. Tunnel networks exist through IPv4. Internet 2 uses it exclusively.

    When are corporations going to start moving to IPv6? Who knows...that will depend on individual needs, but in general, large corporations aren't going to see a big need to move towards IPv6 any time soon. Without end user by in, who is going to 'force' people to use IPv6?

    Yes, IPv4 space is running out. It has been for a long time. That's why Network Address Translation and private address space are so common in today's world. They may be hacks, but they do the trick. Where's the business case involved in reorganizing major networks?

    --
    My UID is the product of 2 primes.
  5. Re:I'll just wait.... by ceswiedler · · Score: 5, Informative

    He's passed on (hence the joke, I get it) but in his TCP/IP Illustrated books, he discusses IPv6 thoroughly, including how to write applications to use either protocol seamlessly.

  6. Re:yet another worthless article about IPv6 by stratjakt · · Score: 5, Funny

    Studies show that monkeys can be trained to remember 10 numbers.

    You're not dumber than a monkey are you? /simpsons

    --
    I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
  7. Interesting math by bojanb · · Score: 5, Interesting
    since there will now be enough IPv6 addresses available for each person on the planet to have 10 of their very own.
    Heh, only if there is an "unexpected explosive expansion" of the human race. Last I checked, IPv6 address space is more than enough for a loooooooooot of addresses per capita.

    Oh, and I almost skipped the obligatory bashing - his first reference at the bottom of the article is Understanding IPv6 by Microsoft Press.
  8. Re:yet another worthless article about IPv6 by smclean · · Score: 5, Insightful
    I think you are being just a liiitle overly pessemistic here.

    Who cares if its card to remember an IPv6 address? Do you really memorize multiple IPs from multiple subnets that often? I can personally only think of 2 subnets I have memorized right now, and I work as a system admin full time.

    As for the shortages, you think that it's a good idea to have scarcity in the IP market just so people will be encouraged to run NAT? I think its presumptious of you to force conditions on me, personally I'd love to have IPs for each machine in my house, but I can't because IP addresses are hard to come by.

    And your last point, yes, ISPs are scumbags, but it seems that the fact that they price gouge for IPs would make you for IPv6, not against it.

    --

    "'Yrch!' said Legolas, falling into his own tongue."

  9. Reserve Addresses? by fgb · · Score: 5, Funny

    Can you reserve addresses yet?

    I want dead:beef:dead:beef:dead:beef:dead:beef

    I had it all caps but the lame-ass lameness filter yelled at me ;-)

  10. Re:yet another worthless article about IPv6 by Have+Blue · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Be thankful people don't have unlimited IPs in their house. Most people that want to have multiple computers connected to the Internet use a NAT router and at least protect themselves SOMEWHAT from the outside threats. Can you imagine what would happen if all the Comcast retards were straight to the Net with their own IP on each computer?

    Not all that much different from today, for 2 reasons:
    • 0wned PCs getting abused tend to max out the connections they are attached to. Once that happens, it doesn't matter if the traffic is coming from 1 PC or a hundred- only 1 upstreams' worth of bad packets are getting onto the net.
    • I would wager that the vast majority of people who tend to get 0wned have only 1 computer. Any house with 2, 3, or more probably has at least one person in it who knows about security.


    ISPs make some good money (hell mine gets $5/mo more out of me for an additional IP) selling off static/dynamic IP space. You think Comcast is going to move for a switch when they make $10/mo per extra IP?

    If anything, they would take this chance to wage a renewed campaign of "you don't really need that router, please buy multiple IPv6 addresses".
  11. There is no shortage by Wesley+Felter · · Score: 5, Informative

    Dozens of /8s are available; last time I checked it was about 40% of the total address space.