IPv4 vs. IPv6: The Ultimate Showdown [Archived]
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Excitement is in the air, crowds are cheering and final bets are being placed on the sidelines. It’s game day. On one side of the field we have IPv4 and on the other, IPv6.
The first quarter kicks off with IPv4 holding strong , with almost all of its 4.3 billion IP addresses in play, how long can it continue to hold the field? The cracks in the defense show early thanks to continued interference from connected devices like smartphones and tablets, IPv4 shows signs of tiring under the pressure.
Just after halftime, the Asia-Pacific region reaches full depletion of IPv4 addresses, and the tide has clearly turned. Home field advantage is not going to be enough to save IPv4’s record given this major shift in the way the Internet community plays the game. IPv6 starts to shake off the rookie jitters as it prepares to take the lead.
Stealing a page from the IPv4 playbook, IPv6 is ready to offer IP addresses for everyone who needs them. The strategy can work for IPv6 because it offers a lot more IP addresses than IPv4. This exponentially larger pool of IP addresses is the key to the future growth of the Internet and has changed the game forever.
So how does this game end? As we get closer and closer to complete global IPv4 depletion, will IPv6 be victorious? It will if more and more people take the plunge and deploy IPv6 on their networks. That’s why we’re so devoted to spreading the word about IPv6, and we encourage you to do so too.
However, depletion won’t mean it is lights out for IPv4. Because IPv6 is not backwards compatible with IPv4, both protocols will be supported simultaneously for many years.
A number of organizations have already deployed or made plans to deploy IPv6. As IPv6 fans, this is pretty exciting news and we expect to see increase adoption rates in 2012.
Gooooo IPv6!
OUT OF DATE?
Here in the Vault, information is published in its final form and then not changed or updated. As a result, some content, specifically links to other pages and other references, may be out-of-date or no longer available.