Are you and your business ready for IPv6?

Your business relies on a functioning World Wide Web, so you should know of any imminent changes to it.
The latest large-scale change is an update in the Internet Protocol, or IP, that affects the way that connected devices communicate with each other.

What is an IP address?

An IP address, or internet protocol address, is a lot like a phone number. It’s a set of numbers which are unique, and identify a device. The numbers are unique for every computer, network or connected device.
The internet protocol is a system of rules which machines use to communicate data (communicating a website from your server to customers, for example).
Current IP addresses look something like this: 37.220.91.195.

What is IPv6?

IPv6 is the latest version of the IP address format. Other updates to IPv6 mean improved security and connectivity from device-to-device.
The update takes the IP from version 4 (first introduced in 1977) to version 6 which is a more modern protocol and commonly known as IPv6.
IPv6 addresses look like this: 2001:0db8::0042:0100:8a2e:0370:7334.

Why is it necessary?

The internet has run out of IPv4 addresses. Eventually we will need a new protocol, one which not only gives us enough IP addresses to meet current demand, but one which will cope with future demand too.
An enormous amount of IP address space exists under the version 6 protocol – there are 340 undecillion (that’s 340 trillion trillion trillion) addresses available with IPv6.

What is Xaccel doing about it?

Being at the cutting edge of technology, Xaccel has known about this change for some time and we have been working hard to ensure the transition from IPv4 to IPv6 is as smooth as possible for our customers.Who created IPv6?
The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) created IPv6. The IETF is a large, open, international community of network designers, operators, vendors and researchers all tasked with the evolution of the internet architecture and ensuring that it operates smoothly.

What happened to IPv5?

It was side-stepped. IPv5, also called the Internet Stream Protocol, was developed in the 1980s as an experiment. It was created to transmit audio, video, and simulations over the internet. While it did gain some popularity with large corporations, it was never used as an official protocol in the way IPv4 has been and IPv6 will be.

What do I need to do now?

Begin by assessing your needs and build up an IPv6 migration readiness plan.
Here are a few pointers to get you started:

Construct a list of third party solutions for your computing environments and confirm that they’re IPv6-ready
Review the software applications on your websites for IPv6 compatibility and adjust them as needed
Assess your configuration for any hard-coded IPv4 addresses or formats, and formulate a plan to replace them
Migrate to IPv6

Xaccel can supply new customers with an IPv6 address today.

For more information please call our Sales Department at 201.806.2602 option 1 or email us at sales@xaccel.net.
To open sales requests online please go to https://www.xaccel.net/ticket-tracking/