Next Gen IP

IPv6 will make the 20-years-old IPv4 outdated. IPv4 has been satisfying the
communications industry for almost 20 years, but not any longer. The reason:
shortage of IPv4 addresses, which are required by all new machines added to the
Internet.

IPv6 is considered to be the solution for many unresolved problems including
insufficient number of IP addresses in IPv4. It improves on many aspects of IPv4
like routing and network auto-configuration.

Flexibility Factor

IPv6, a network layer for packet-switched internetworks, has brought a major
change in IPv4. This next generation Internet protocol can be upgraded as a
normal software upgrade in Internet devices, and is naturally interoperable with
the current IP version. IPv6 or IPng is capable of operating efficiently on high
performance networks, such as ATMs, while simultaneously work efficiently with
low bandwidth networks. An important aspect of this latest version is that it
provides a platform for new Internet functionality that will be required in the
near future.

The Drivers

The current version, IPv4, caters to the needs of the present computer
market, which in fact has been the driving force behind the growth of the
Internet.

The next phase of Internet will not be driven by the kind of computer market
existing now. It is predicted that other kinds of extremely large markets with a
new set of requirements, which were not felt till now, will be the drivers.
Another important aspect of this evolution is that the new markets will shape
parallel to each other.

Moving ahead of fixed networks, nomadic networks will be the future wherein a
new Internet protocol is mandated. Mobile wireless networks will be on the rise
and they will all need to be networked. Nomadic personal computing devices will
support a variety of network attachments unlike today's networked computers. RF
wireless networks, infrared attachment, and physical wires altogether can be
applicable in IPv6, which shall provide a common protocol for internetworking
technologies. These types of devices will deface the existing computing world
and devices. And needless to say that the new generation devices will have to
communicate with IPv4 phase computers as well.

Similarly, networked entertainment is another important market. Five hundred
channels of television, Video-on-demand, etc are already figuring in debates. It
is likely that the differences between a computer and a television will blur in
the world of HDTV.

Another equally important market for IPv6 is device control. In a smart home,
day to day devices like lightening equipment, heating and cooling equipment,
motors, and other types of equipment controlled via analog switches could be
networked via IPv6.

Kannan K

kannan@cybermedia.co.in