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01.29.10 Comcast To Begin IPv6 Trials In April  By John VinsonIt's hard to believe the internet is running out of IPv4 addresses, but according to experts it won't be long before the IPv4 bucket is full. Therefore, Comcast is finally getting around to publicly testing IPv6, which is known by some as the 'next generation IP'. Altogether, Comcast has been planning and studying IPv6 development for five years. The transition is being made out of necessity as 90% of the IPv4 addresses have already been used. Once it's full it means no new Comcast subscribers, which leads to no new revenue growth. So, you can understand Comcast's urgency in getting ready for IPv6. If Comcast stays the course right now, they'll be ready to switch completely over to IPv6 in 2012. To prepare for this transition, Comcast is allowing certain subscribers to participate in IPv6 trials. The reason for the early trials, is the IPv6 transition is highly complex. Comcast will be looking out for a variety of things during the tests. The initial switch of the IPv4 addresses to IPv6 will be what Comcast focuses on most. They're testing a few mechanisms, trying to decide what the most efficient option will be for switching everyone to IPv6. This is easier said than done because of all the factors that go into the switch.
Jason Livingood, Executive Director of Internet Systems Engineering at Comcast, mentions some of the problems switching to IPv6, "Some of the concerns we have are about the ability of home gateway devices to be able to be upgraded for native dual stack IPv4 and IPv6, and legacy applications on computers or scattered hardware throughout the home." He continues, "Home networks are very diverse, and there's a lot of complexity in them. So we're worried about some of those things." It will be interesting to see how this progressive feeling rubs off on other ISPs in the industry. You have to think that if the IPv4 addresses are becoming scarce, then other providers are feeling the strain as well. Perhaps these trials will inspire other providers to begin testing of their own, as I'm sure they want to have ability to sign up new customers in the future. If you would like more information about IPv6, or want to sign up for the trials, you can visit - http://www.comcast6.net and http://www.ipv6.comcast.net. The trials are set to begin sometime in April. About the Author: John is a staff writer for WebProNews. |
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