existing address. They do not need to be assigned new addresses. Administrators do not need to draft new addressing plans.
Little or no preparation work is needed in order to upgrade existing IPv4 systems to IPv6, or to deploy new IPv6 systems.

The mechanisms employed by the IPv6 transition mechanisms include:
An IPv6 addressing structure that embeds IPv4 addresses within IPv6 addresses, and encodes other information used by the transition mechanisms.

A model of deployment where all hosts and routers upgraded to IPv6 in the early transition phase are "dual" capable (i.e. implement complete IPv4 and IPv6 protocol stacks).

The technique of encapsulating IPv6 packets within IPv4 headers to carry them over segments of the end-to-end path where the routers have not yet been upgraded to IPv6.

The header translation technique to allow the eventual introduction of routing topologies that route only IPv6 traffic, and the deployment of hosts that support only IPv6. Use of this technique is optional, and would be used in the later phase of transition if it is used at all.

The IPv6 transition mechanisms ensures that IPv6 hosts can interoperate with IPv4 hosts anywhere in the Internet up until the time when IPv4 addresses run out, and allows IPv6 and IPv4 hosts within a limited scope to interoperate indefinitely after that. This feature protects the huge investment users have made in IPv4 and ensures that IPv6 does not render IPv4 obsolete. Hosts that need only a limited connectivity range (e.g., printers) need never be upgraded to IPv6.

The incremental upgrade features of the IPv6 transition mechanisms allow the host and router vendors to integrate IPv6 into their product line at their own pace and allows the end user and network operator to deploy IPv6 on their own schedules.

Conclusion
IPv6 has many advantages over IPv4. The most frequently cited advantage from the adoption of IPv6 is a vast increase in available addresses for people and machines that need to be connected. Emerging applications, especially devices that are globally addressable so that they can be remotely accessed and controlled via the internet represent a potentially important application of IPv6 addresses.

In August 2005, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memorandum specifying activities and time frames for federal agencies to transition to IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6). OMB has mandated that all government agencies must run network backbones that are IPv6-capable by June 2008.

Proactive adoption of the protocal is crucial to the U.S. as other Countries including Australia, Japan and Korea are leading the way in this new technological evolution.

I recommend that Network Engineer's adopt this new technology and get prepared for the wave of IPv6 support that will be needed from all Government agencies in the next 2 to 5 years.

References
This section lists all documents or vendor Web sites used to review this technology.
S. Bradner, A. Mankin
RFC 1752, "The Recommendation for the IP Next Generation Protocol"
January 1995

GAO
Internet Protocol Version 6 Federal Government in Early Stages of Transition and Key Challenges Remain
June 2006

Juniper
IPv6 Capable A guide for Federal Agencies
May 2006

Cisco
www.cisco.com

Learn more about this author, Robert Nelson.
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