by D. Vogt

Created on: August 06, 2010

IPv6, or Internet Protocol version 6, is a new format governing communication between computers over the Internet. Over the next several years it will probably enter widespread use as we run out of IP addresses under the current regime, IPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4). The new standard exponentially increases the total number of computers which can potentially connect to the Internet, at the expense of addresses which except in specific circumstances will be nearly impossible to remember, as well as continuing uncertainty over how to make a smooth transition.

- About the IPv4 Address Crisis and IPv6 -

On the Internet, every computer communicates according to certain pre-established rules. For the moment, the most pressing of these is that each computer is given a unique number address consisting of four numbers between 0 and 255 (for example, 65.200.0.255), which functions in roughly the same way as a telephone number. This system of allocating numbers is known as IPv4, and is the one currently used to make the World Wide Web possible. Unfortunately, simple mathematics shows that this system only allows about four billion computers to connect to the Internet. After that, the system runs out of unique numbers to create IP addresses. As designed, the Internet cannot function with multiple computers sharing the same number.

This was not a serious problem when the system was designed during the 1970s and 1980s - indeed, at a time when only a very small number of technical specialists were using the Internet, and computers were very expensive, it was inconceivable that four billion computers would ever exist at the same time, let alone be connected to the Internet. However, the central agency which controls IP addresses, the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority, only has a small number of blocks of numbers left to allocate. After these run out, probably some time next year, it will still be some while yet before they are all assigned to end users, but this will occur, inevitably.

The solution is a new set of rules for assigning numbers, called IPv6. Instead of four billion addresses, IPv6 allows for about 340 undecillion IP addresses: that is, the number 34 followed by 37 zeroes. The new numbers are written in hexadecimal form in groups of four digits, such as 2001:0DB8:AC10:FE01:0000:0000:1000:0000. Unless each person alive today somehow invests in several trillion computers each, space in the new IPv6 system will be plentiful and cheap for an extremely long

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