Leading internet firms have set 6 June as the World IPv6 launch day.
IPv6 is the new net address system that replaces the current protocol IPv4, which is about to run out of spaces to allocate.
Web companies participating in the event have pledged to enable IPv6 on their main websites from that date.
The Internet Society, which made the announcement, said the
day represented "a major milestone" in the deployment of the standard.
Facebook, Google, Microsoft Bing and Yahoo are the inaugural web firms involved.
Future-proof
Every device connected to the internet is assigned an internet
protocol (IP) address, which is a string of numbers that allows other
devices to recognise where data comes from or should be sent to.
The IPv4 system has approximately four billion IP addresses.
The growth in the number of smartphones, PCs and other web
devices and services meant that net regulator Icann had already handed
out its last IPv4 sets to regional registries.
At the time it said businesses needed to start preparing
themselves for a switch to the IPv6 standard, which offers more than 340
trillion trillion trillion addresses.
Experts say the new system should ensure there are enough addresses for the foreseeable future.
Problem solving
IPv6 is incompatible with IPv4, so the transition has required old hardware to be replaced or updated.
Internet service providers (ISP) taking part have promised
that by the launch date they will have enabled at least 1% of their
fixed line subscribers to visit IPv6-enabled websites. The ISPs involved
include the US firms AT&T and Comcast, and the Dutch firm XS4all.
The home networking equipment manufacturers Cisco and D-Link
say they aim to enable IPv6 on all their home router products by the
date.
And Akami and Limelight - two firms that help improve third
parties' delivery of content over the net - have also promised to allow
their customers to join the list of firms participating in the scheme by
enabling the new protocol throughout their infrastructure.
Amsterdam-based RIPE NCC, which allocates IP addresses in
Europe, the Middle East and parts of Asia, said: "Operational experience
and measurements on World IPv6 Launch will help content providers and
ISPs to identify and rectify any potential problems with delivering
services."
Facebook's vice president of infrastructure engineering, Jay
Parikh, added: "Last year's industry-wide test of IPv6 successfully
showed that the global adoption of IPv6 is the best way to keep web
devices communicating in the future.
"Permanently enabling IPv6 is vital to keeping the internet
open and ensuring people stay connected online as the number of web
users and devices continue to grow."
Thursday, January 19, 2012
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