Much hyped Internet doomsday is just around the corner – as per Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), more than 85 % of the available IP addresses have already been allocated and the rest will run out by 2011 (some other prediction says 2010).
Back home, TRAI has taken note of this issue has asked DoT to create National Internet Registry (NIR); and also to work with ISPs/manufacturers on increasing the awareness of IPV6.
the Indian IT industry is yet to acknowledge the need for IPv6, and the important thing is to create an awareness among Internet Service Providers (ISPs) on the need to migrate to the new format. A lot of work has to be done, like configuring systems and putting equipment in place that supports the new format – source
What’s your take? Do you think IPV4 issue is overrated?
I have been hearing that the IPv4 address space is going to be completely utilized since the past 6 years. A colleague mentions 10.
I work in a Embedded Linux Networking company and am fully aware of the limitations of the IPv4 addresses and the features of IPv6. But still, I don’t know whether a strong a business case exists for IPv6. I think we easily have another few years before we start to panic.
Having said that, it’s always good to be prepared and the international bodies should concentrate on standardizing the protocols , standards, etc. so that the transition is less chaotic.
Ashish,
The real issue here is not exhaustion of IP addresses but that workarounds for address limit actually add more complexity to the network. Machines behind NAT do not have end-to-end connectivity and some Internet protocols cannot be supported. For eg. running Skype behind a NAT was (is?) a big mess.
This impact is often underestimated but end-to-end connectivity is one of the core principles of Internet. And NAT violates that. Here is an example: http://www.fourmilab.ch/speakfree/unix/
I will quote:
“A user behind a NAT box is no longer a peer to other sites on the Internet. Since the user no longer has an externally visible Internet Protocol (IP) address (fixed or variable), there is no way (in the general case–there may be “workarounds” for specific NAT boxes, but they’re basically exploiting bugs which will probably eventually be fixed) for sites to open connections or address packets to his machine. The user is demoted to acting exclusively as a client. While the user can contact and freely exchange packets with sites not behind NAT boxes, he cannot be reached by connections which originate at other sites. In economic terms, the NATted user has become a consumer of services provided by a higher-ranking class of sites, producers or publishers, not subject to NAT. ”
In short, using workarounds like NAT is delaying the deployment of IPv6. But networks are actually better off without NAT. A perfect case of a temporary practical, low-cost fix blocking the shift to a better but expensive solution.
In my opinion, this is a serious issue. We are breaking the Internet by delaying the move to IPv6.
cheers
nilesh
NAT was not a design flaw as is seems to be the tone in your quoted article.
NAT was a solution.
More often than not, it is desirable to have mutiple machines securely communicating from behind the gateway.
For SIP apps like Skype, etc. there is a concept called STUN.
Agreed other apps like VPN, etc. would have beenmuch more easier to deploy and access, but then again Firewall security was the trade-off, so… oh well, let it be.
I did say that NAT was a practical, low-cost, but temporary, fix. My point is that we are underestimating the cost of breaking end-to-end connectivity by delaying the move to IPv6 – which, I repeat, is an expensive solution but comes with long-term benefits.
Agreed.
My point is, as long as there is no BUSINESS case for it, it will be difficult to convince vendors to support it.
There’s a business case for IPv6. The problem is that it isn’t a compelling business case until you actually run out of v4 space. At which point you cut over or die.
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I want a detailed explanation about ipv6 protocol and its functions and when it is to be implemented in India.
I think this issue is overrated as IPv4 supports 4 billion IP addresses and there are 6.5 billion people on earth, therefore its unlikely that every person on earth will ever have a computer and internet connection for next couple of decades in future.
We can assume one IP for each home and a few for each company as they can use proxy to connect to the internet hiding the multiple computer behind. This will still not exhaust the all the addresses.
but the implementation should not be delayed as there could be a next internet boom with a revolutionizing tech that uses lot of IP’s
thanks,
Harun