IPv6 - What? (If you have Windows 7, you have this.. so what...)

The current Internet Protocol, or IP addressing schemme called IPv4  was developed over 30 years ago. At that time,  the creators had no idea what the Internet would look like in the future. IPv6 builds on the strengths of IPv4 and contains everything that was proven to be good and stable in IPv4 and extends it to meet the needs of the future Internet.

IPv6 is in the news now, but it was first developed as a standard back in 1998. The problem is that IPv4 is running out. Current estimates suggest that by 2011, all of the left over addresses will be used up, meaning anyone not already connected to the Internet risks being left behind.

Of course, there are ways to extend the use of IPv4. One such solution is network address translation (NAT) where a single address is split up by a piece of bridging software. A bit like running six lamps off one electrical outlet with the help of a power strip or adapter.

The average Internet user is unlikely to notice the effect of IPv4 exhaustion at first. It will not make any significant difference whether they access the Internet using an IPv6 or an IPv4 address. However, in the future parts of the Internet may be unreachable if the destination is an IPv6-only network and ISPs do not provide IPv6 addresses.

As a small business owner, this may sound like, and is, techno-babble. Just be aware if you are planning an upgrade of any major size, ask your vendor and/or project manager if your project integrates IPv6 compatible devices.

You will begin to see more about IPv6 over the next several months - we will keep you updated.

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