Internet runs out of addresses as devices grow


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The current Internet address system, Internet Protocol version 4, has been in place since the 1980s. It allows for a theoretical maximum of 4.3 billion addresses in use, far beyond what was thought necessary for what was then mainly a network for academic use.

Engineers have known for years that the pool of these IP addresses would one day run out. Websites and service providers have been experimenting with a new technology that allows for many more addresses — an infinite number, for all practical purposes. But many have been slow to do so because of a lack of immediate benefits. The exhaustion of IP addresses at the top level puts pressure on them to move more quickly.

The new system is called Internet Protocol version 6, or IPv6. Curran said only about 2 percent of websites support it. However, many of those are the most-visited sites on the Internet, including Google and Facebook. He expects smaller sites to scramble for IPv6 addresses now.

As Internet service providers run out of IPv4 addresses, they'll have to give subscribers IPv6 addresses. The challenge lies in connecting them to websites that have only IPv4 addresses. In essence, IPv4 and IPv6 are different "languages." Several "translation" technologies are available, but they haven't been tested on a large scale, Curran said. That could lead to problems reaching some websites, or slow surfing.

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It is real, but we won't see any interruption.  They just assigned the last 2 IPv4 blocks, so they are all used up.  The ISPs will translate between the IPv4 and IPv6 addresses.

There are a lot of challenges ahead of us for IPv4 to IPv6 conversion, but not specifically for the average person who uses the Internet on a daily basis.  This IPv4/IPv6 fun comes in first for ISPs who have to now run dual infrastructure to support routing for both IP versions as well as Domain Name Service.

Quote from: BoogyMan on March 15, 2011, 09:25:05 PM
There are a lot of challenges ahead of us for IPv4 to IPv6 conversion, but not specifically for the average person who uses the Internet on a daily basis.  This IPv4/IPv6 fun comes in first for ISPs who have to now run dual infrastructure to support routing for both IP versions as well as Domain Name Service.

I looked around briefly at the SimpleMachines/YABBSE main site, but couldn't find anything on this topic. Try here....

http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php

Their email address is [email protected]