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With
IPv4 unable to scale up in proportion to the rapid growth
in Internet and wireless enabled devices, the decks have been
cleared for the adoption of IPv6, the latest kid on the block.
Chandan Mendiratta analyses the technology and finds
there is more to it than just more IP addresses. He points
out that the technology has the potential to fuel the growth
of India’s Internet economy
 Picture
this: you are not able to log on because your computer says
‘Sorry, all IP addresses are now being used!!!’
So what does one do in circumstances like these? Right now,
nothing. With the rapid growth of the Internet and proliferation
of wireless devices that require unique IP addresses, IPv4
is beginning to show its age.
The distant rumbling of the next-generation IP protocol ’version
6’ is growing louder. IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version
6), is the ‘next generation’ protocol designed by
the IETF to replace the current version Internet Protocol,
IP Version 4 (IPv4) and is now being positioned as the antidote
to the problem of shortage of IP addresses.
The catalyst in action!
The escalating demand for IP addresses has served as the main
catalyst in the development of IPv6. It’s estimated that
in the wireless arena alone, more than 1 billion mobile phones,
personal digital assistants (PDAs), and other wireless devices
will require Internet access and each will need its own unique
IP address. IPv6, as specified by the Internet Engineering
Task Force (IETF), most notably offers:
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Expanded IP addresses to accommodate widespread proliferation
of Internet devices such as personal computers, personal
digital assistants, wireless devices, and new Internet appliances.
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Expansion of the Internet throughout the world.
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Increasing use of ‘always on’ Internet access.
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Requirements for emerging Internet applications.
IPv6 also provides integrated auto-configuration for plug-and
play capabilities, enhanced mobility, and end-to-end security.
Is it a killer app?
The question isn’t ‘if’ but rather ‘when’
will the world migrate to IP protocol version 6 (IPv6). With
an exponentially increasing demand for IP addresses, the world
is outgrowing IPv4. Billions of new, always-on Internet appliances
for the home from the TV to the refrigerator and utility meter
will be connected through various technologies, and each of
these devices will require its own IP address.
The need for more addresses is compounded by the fact that
addresses have not been distributed evenly worldwide. Although
IPv4 theoretically can support as many as 4 billion unique
addresses, the actual allocation of space has locked up nearly
75 percent of these addresses. In contrast to IPv4, which
has 32 bits of address space, IPv6 has 128 bits of address
space, pushing the theoretical limit of unique IPv6 nodes
to roughly 3.4 x 1038 or about 340 billion billion billion
billion unique addresses.
Deploying IPv6 and its benefits
A wide range of techniques have been identified and implemented,
basically falling into three categories:
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Dual Stack Techniques, to allow IPv4 and IPv6 to co-exist
in the same devices and networks
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Tunnelling Techniques, to avoid order dependencies when
upgrading hosts, routers and regions
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Translation Techniques, to allow IPv6-only devices to communicate
with IPv4 only devices.
Expanded addressing is not the only benefit of IPv6. Other
benefits include:
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IPv6’s auto configuration feature or autodiscovery
will eliminate the labour-intensive and costly approach
to administration of Dynamic Host Control Protocol (DHCP)
servers that most large organisations use to manage their
IPv4 addresses.
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IPv6 uses a ‘stateless autoconfiguration’ that
combines an interface ID number, such as the machine’s
existing MAC address, and a network prefix from the local
router to assign its IP address instead of one allocated
by the DHCP server.
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IPv6 will also provide a peer-to-peer applications architecture
that will allow for a global, end-to-end addressing scheme.
This setup will eliminate the need for Network Address Translation
(NAT) devices at the edge of some large enterprise networks,
which can slow down the encryption process and are inefficient
for applications such as Voice over IP, mobile IP, and distributed
gaming.
What would it mean to India?
IPv6 will emerge as one of the most extremely critical success
factors for growth of IT in India. Currently, on IPv4, India
has only three ranges of Class B network address families.
Each Class B network can have 255 X 255 (= 65025) IP addresses,
which means that India today has a total of only about 2 lakh
IP addresses. This is one of the biggest constraints to the
adoption of intelligent IP based network applications and
devices within the country. Currently, the existing network
users share these IP addresses.
Further, IPv4 based addresses have proven difficult to get
allotted, as there is a severe shortage internationally. Therefore,
it is critical for India and other developing countries to
move to the IPv6 platform, simply because IPv4 chokes the
possibilities and potential for the growth of the Internet
in India.
Secondly, India has software and engineering capabilities
that are recognised across the world. IPv6 is the ideal standard
for Indians to start developing applications and services
for, since even if the standard is adopted internationally,
its growth will be restrained by the ability of companies
to provide applications based on this standard.
After years of early testing and limited deployment, movement
toward IPv6 is gaining momentum. The ultimate beauty of IPv6
is that it will bring us back to an end-to-end, global addressing
architecture, but the transition to IPv6 will be slow and
measured. Therefore, it is critical for India to consider
IPv6 since both as a market as well as a development centre,
the standard holds tremendous potential to fuel the growth
of India’s Internet economy.
The author is principal consultant,
Cisco Systems India & SAARC
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