Internet Giants Test Out IPv6

Ever heard of IPv6?  No?  Well, you are not alone.

Most web design professionals and owners will not be aware of it yet, but it is a development that is coming your way - though not, admittedly, terribly soon.

However, a number of major internet brands have been testing the new internet address system this week, partly to test the technology, but also to raise awareness of the issue.

Currently, IPv4 is used to give an individual ID number to every connection to the internet.  It is usually written as a long list on 12 digits, say 112.223.334.445.  This gives the world a maximum of around 4.3 billion individual addresses; so 4.3 billion individual items that can connect to the internet.

When this idea was conceived in the 1980s, it was little thought that the world would run out.  However, given the rapid explosion in connected devices - such as phones, games consoles, TV, and even kitchen appliances - this is what is in danger of happening.IPv6, instead, is a 128-bit system written in hexadecimal (base 16, using both letters and numerals) which can give a maximum of 340 undecillion addresses (one undecillion equals 10 followed by 35 zeros) which should be enough, one would have thought, for a very long time to come.

The transition will take years, and most homes will acquire equipment that can read IPv6 in the normal cycle of upgrading.  Businesses face a bigger issue, and will probably need to invest in new networks; hence the need for awareness, even though IPv6 is some years away yet.

Good web hosting providers will obviously deal with this efficiently from their end, but if you have a business with multiple web connections, it is worth educating yourself about.