An IP, Internet Protocol, is the scheme used so computers can communicate with each other. It is a numerical label that assigns a device, such as a computer, to a network. It’s the computer equivalent of the post office system for physical home addresses. A device includes a computer, cell phone, home, automobile, printer, router, or other apparatus that can connect to a network.
Why is IPv4 running out?
IPv4 is the fourth version of the Internet protocol. It’s still the current standard, even though the first three versions saw little use. The rollout began around 1987. Since IPv4 relies on a 32-bit address space, it caps out at roughly 4.2 billion possible addresses. A sample IPv4 address looks like 192.0.2.589.
North America ran out of available IPv4 addresses by September 2015, and other regions ran dry even earlier. A few Internet service providers still hold unassigned addresses, so the industry leans on other strategies to stretch what’s left. The explosion in connected devices, and the number of people using them, drained the pool over the last few decades.
How can IPv6 help?
IPv5 never reached the public. It stayed an experiment engineers created in 1996, using 128-bit addressing instead of IPv4’s 32-bit system. IPv6 targets a different problem: the Internet of Things, or IoT. That’s the growing web of connected devices that all need their own address. Because of that 128-bit space, IPv6 allows for a huge number of IP addresses.
IPv6 solves that shortage by supporting approximately 3.4×1038network addresses. That’s about 480,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 addresses for each of the planet’s 7 billion people. A sample address looks like 0000:0000:0000:0000:3299:5678.
How the world is getting ready
The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) manages IP addresses. Five regional Internet registries (RIR), together with many more Internet Service Providers (ISPs), handle the addresses at the local level.
IPv6 still needs a lot of work so it connects and functions properly across all appropriate networks. There are many other concerns about the transition to IPv6 addresses, including:
- Security
- Compatibility
- Legal issues
IPv6 differs from IPv4 in five key ways:
- Addressing and routing
- Translation of network addresses
- Security
- Administrative workload
- Mobile device support
How to ensure you are ready for the change
Many Internet service providers already understand what IPv6 connectivity needs, and they’re taking steps to inform and protect customers. Customers should check with their ISP now, before the world fully shifts to this new addressing system.
IT managers should check which devices need an upgrade to the new address or a full hardware replacement. IT departments should then price out any new devices and budget for the migration.
Make the call to a Volico professional to have your IP address questions answered
Prepare now for the shift to IPv6. Review the business, technical, and strategy decisions this migration involves so you’re ready before it lands. As the IoT keeps expanding, your devices will need to connect smoothly with the Internet and with each other.
