Transitioning to IPv6 for
Simplicity, Efficiency, and Modernization
Over two decades ago—an eternity in internet time—the most
recent version of the Internet Protocol (IPv6) was approved that
vastly increased the available number of IP addresses—the unique
identifiers for each device connecting to the internet. Back
then, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) standards body
realized that the immense growth of the internet and the number
of devices connecting to it would “soon” exceed the available
32-bit format of IPv4 addresses—a mere 4.3 billion—and impede
innovation and expansion of the internet for businesses,
governments, and individuals.
IPv6 was designed to support 340 trillion trillion trillion—not
a typo!—addresses using a 128-bit format. However, by that time
the shorter IPv4 format for IP addresses was firmly programmed
into network devices, applications, and business computer
systems. While the address system was already showing signs of
stress, a growing number of personal computers and smartphones
would also require unique IP addresses. IT teams in business and
government organizations were able to creatively deploy
techniques that helped to extend the life of IPv4 addressing.
Using Network Address Translation (NAT) software built into
routers and firewalls, for example, enabled one public-facing
IPv4 address to accommodate multiple devices within an
enterprise network. Similarly, service providers were using
Carrier-Grade NAT to expand the use of available IPv4 addresses
for mobile devices.
However, while effective, these techniques were basically
bandaids that made up for IPv4’s lack of address space. Using
NAT, for example, obfuscates IP addresses within the enterprise
network, making managing Access Control Lists (ACL) much more
complex. Security is inhibited with NAT too because when
hundreds of devices are sharing the same IPv4 address it’s
difficult to apply security policies accurately or quarantine
rogue devices without affecting all the other devices identified
with the same IP address.
Adding to the crowded address space, there has been a massive
increase in consumer devices connected to the internet, rising
from 5 connected devices per household to 50 devices from 2015
to 2020. More recently, the rise in IoT, smart building OT, and
cloud-native applications deployed in containers for
scalability, has truly stressed IPv4 to the point where
organizations are competing—and spending—to purchase tranches of
IPv4 addresses just to keep operations running. The growing
adoption of public and private 5G, Wi-Fi 6, and edge compute are
enabling industries to connect more devices and industrial
control systems that need even more unique IP addresses. All
this activity has changed IPv6 from experimental to a
requirement for new digital transformation projects.
To maintain the steady modernization of information systems, the
need to transition to IPv6 is urgently apparent to organizations
and governments around the world. India and China, with their
enormous populations rapidly adopting digital technologies, are
at the forefront of the transition to single-stack IPv6. Mobile
operators who need to support millions of smartphones, all
running containerized programs, have already quickly shifted to
IPv6. The hyper-scale cloud providers have completed the
transition of their internal data center operations to IPv6
while maintaining their interfaces to the internet to
accommodate IPv4 addresses still in use in older devices,
websites, and legacy applications. On the application side,
Apple has required iOS and MacOS apps to be designed for IPv4
and IPv6. The US OMB has published a mandate for all Federal
departments to plan and commit to the transition of at least 80%
of IP-enabled assets on Federal networks operating in IPv6-only
environments by the end of FY 2025.
After 24 years, the time has finally arrived for IPv6. This
necessary transition in internet protocols once again
demonstrates the embedded nature of networks that make
everything work together, anywhere, anytime.
“After 24 years, the time has finally arrived for IPv6. This
necessary transition in internet protocols once again
demonstrates the embedded nature of networks that make
everything work together, anywhere, anytime.”
Planning for Transition to IPv6 with Agile Practices
Cisco IT is Customer Zero for IPv6-only inside our networks.
This means they are actively designing, testing, and building
IPv6-only as part of the Cisco campus environment. Cisco IT is
approaching this effort using agile practices in one campus
building today so that they can experience, resolve, and learn
about the potential hurdles our customers may face. For Cisco
IT, one of the key reasons to convert to pure IPv6 is to enable
an easier migration path from Virtual Machines to Containers for
software applications. Another significant benefit being
evaluated is the potential for adding an exploding number of IoT
devices: sensors, cameras, and other smart building components,
by leveraging IPv6 to simplify network access and zero-trust to
streamline security.
Currently, most Cisco campus buildings and branches are running
dual-stack IPv4/6 with opportunistic use of IPv6 on endpoints
like laptops and mobile devices. As Cisco IT progresses through
their agile transition plan, they intend to cohesively integrate
holdover devices, such as badge readers, printers, and cameras.
Cisco’s Long-Term Commitment to IPv6
Even though IPv6 has been a standard for 24 years, many
organizations were satisfied with the workarounds being used to
overcome the IPv4 limitations. Why change a major part of the
network infrastructure when it was working? As we explained in
this post, with all the rapid changes and additions to the
internet and enterprise networks—smart building systems, IoT for
distributed manufacturing, hybrid work, and massive numbers of
mobile devices—the status quo is no longer an option.
Organizations that want to grow must consider transitioning to
IPv6-only networks, eventually reducing, and then eliminating
dual-stack IPv4/6 implementations. Cisco understands the need
for the transition and all new development will be IPv6 ready.
Cisco is committed to updating existing hardware and software
solutions to support IPv6 end-to-end deployment across multiple
domains including campus, data center, cloud, and internet. We
are also providing security, management, and monitoring tools to
customers to assist in planning the transition to IPv6 networks.
Ravi Chandrasekaran -
Cisco |
About TACS
TACS
Consulting Delivers The Insight and Vision on Information
Communication and Energy Technologies for Strategic Decisions.
TACS is Pioneer and Innovator of many Communication Signal
Processors, Optical Modems, Optimum or Robust Multi-User or
Single-User MIMO Packet Radio Modems, 1G Modems, 2G Modems, 3G
Modems, 4G Modems, 5G Modems, 6G Modems, Satellite Modems, PSTN
Modems, Cable Modems, PLC Modems, IoT Modems and more..
TACS consultants conducted fundamental scientific research in
the field of communications and are the pioneer and first
inventors of PLC MODEMS, Optimum or Robust Multi-User or
Single-User MIMO fixed or mobile packet radio structures in the
world.
TACS is a leading top consultancy in the field of Information,
Communication and Energy Technologies (ICET). The heart of our
Consulting spectrum comprises strategic, organizational, and
technology-intensive tasks that arise from the use of new
information and telecommunications technologies. TACS Consulting
offers Strategic Planning, Information, Communications and
Energy Technology Standards and Architecture Assessment, Systems
Engineering, Planning, and Resource Optimization.
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TACS is a leading top consultancy in the field of information, communication
and energy technologies (ICET).
The heart of our consulting spectrum comprises strategic,
organizational, and technology-intensive tasks that arise from the use of new
information, communication and energy technologies.
The major emphasis in our work is found in innovative consulting and
implementation solutions which result from the use of modern information,
communication and energy technologies.
TACS
- Delivers the insight and vision
on technology for strategic decisions
- Drives
innovations forward as part of our service offerings to customers
worldwide
- Conceives
integral solutions on the basis of our integrated business and technological
competence in the ICET sector
- Assesses technologies and standards and develops
architectures for fixed or mobile, wired or wireless communications systems
and networks
- Provides
the energy and experience of world-wide leading innovators and experts in their fields for local,
national or large-scale international projects.
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