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Four Root DNS Servers Go IPv6 On February 4th
I Don't Believe in Imaginary Property writes "On February 4th, IANA will add AAAA records for the IPv6 addresses of the four root servers. With this transition, it will finally be possible for two internet hosts to communicate without using IPv4 at all. Certain obsolete software may face compatibility problems due to the change, but those issues are addressed in an ICANN report (pdf)."
The main problem isn't obsolete software, but hardware. Changing routers to some that support IPv6 isn't done over night. And even if you do, and get IPv6 assigned, it doesn't help unless your provider also supports IPv6 -- else you might as well be tunelling the old way anyhow.
Regards,
--
*Art
So when will this mean that I can actually use IPv6 for connecting to servers?
Like, when will I be able to open my browser window, type in an IPv6 address, and connect to...say..google?
I'm the guy with the unpopular opinion
Great, now we can soon get on with the job of assigning static ip addresses to all our toasters, refrigerators, furnaces, thermostats, tv sets, electric hairdryers, etc.
try { do() || do_not(); } catch (JediException err) { yoda(err); }
They don't do dynamic IP addresses because they don't have enough addresses. They do it for stopping you from running a server on your home computer. Sure you can still run a server, but it's harder to run one when your IP address keeps changing.
Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
IPv6
No... if that was the case, your IP would change.
IP changes, in my experience from both Comcast and Verizon FIOS, are so rare that they effectively don't happen. I've never had a change with FIOS from the day the service was fired up, and although I can't recall ever having my previous Comcast one change except when I physically moved, its possible it did once or twice.
If they want to block servers, they'd block inbound ports.
Dynamic IP addresses are used because its the only possible way to do it without having techs setting up every joe six pack or grandmothers computer.
I'm just hoping the Enemy Territory server I play on doesn't move too quickly to the switch to IPv6. It took me ages to load their map rotation, but it's a good selection and their bots are a nice challenge. It has taken me months already to remember the 216.27.112... wait, is it 112.48, or 48.112 at the end? And that 27 doesn't look right. It ends in :27962, I know that. Or is it :27964?
Ah crap, I forgot the number again.
Damn you, progress.
Shiny. Let's be bad guys...
Actually, v4 and v6 are quite independent. A single host can have BOTH at the same time.
/. keeps its v4's at least until my college switches to v6.
I'd hope
I think it's backward compatibility IIRC.
Yeah, when slashdot drops it's IPv4 address, then I'll believe in this IPv6 nonsense.
OK, admit it... how many of us would go figure out how to run IPv6 if it was required to get a /. fix?
I belive that they skipped the 64-bits address to be able to fit the 48-bit MAC (Level 2) address inside the IP (Level 3/4) address, and thus avoiding the need for the router to use ARP to find the MAC address corresponding to a local IP address.
I Am Not An Internet Assigned Numbers Authority.
Beauty is in the eye of the beerholder.
I think many of us geeks know that you can also use methods like DHCP to configure static IPs. What you are benefiting from here is DHCP, not your dynamic IP.
"Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it." -- GBS
IP addresses: :)
I can't remember my IPv4 addresses without looking them up, so I'd be no worse off than with IPv6. You'll get older too son, then you'll agree with me
As for web hosting providers, they won;t ever have to 'change your IP address', they'll just have to tell you it in the first place, then you're done.
In both cases, IPv6 supports auto-registration so you won't have to fiddle with it anyway. As the IETF says "Since IPv6 addresses are too long to remember and EUI64-based addresses are too complicated to remember, they are not suitable for such identifiers"
IIRC you don't need DHCP anymore with stateless autoconfiguration.
NAT:
think for a moment what NAT does. All you have is your router attached to the internet, and all your computers connected to the router. Unless you explicitly allow incoming connections to pass through, your PCs are "firewalled" at the router.
If you have IPv6, you'll still have the router. I hope that all router manufacturers will be shipping them with incoming connectivity disabled by default, just like it is at the moment. Then, you'll be no less secure with IPv6 than you are today.
You will have the benefit of being able to "DMZ" as many of your PCs as you like, not just one of them. This is best of both worlds.
I think IPv6 will be a good thing, if it ever happens. I can't see that happening anytime soon though, there's too much infrastructure out there.