IPv6 & Me
For the first presentation of the Fort Wayne Linux Users' Group, I volunteered myself to present an introduction to IPv6. A couple of months later, I decided to establish this page to help other people who are trying to learn IPv6 as I was.
If you're interested in IPv6, I'd love to talk to you. So e-mail me: ayanosuke<AT>jadegrel.net. I'm always interested in hearing about other IPv6 fans—we're a rare breed in North America!
Elsewhere on the Web
Here are some links to major IPv6 resources and organizations around the world, ripped from my FWLUG page.
Protocol & Linux
Global
In the U.S.A.
In Japan (pages in English)
Serious Introduction to IPv6
I've always been interested in computer networking and how computers are used for real-world communication, especially on the cutting edge of technology. Lately, I've fallen in love with IPv6, the protocol underlying the next generation Internet.
So what does IPv6 provide for us, you may ask? There are many advantages.
- Larger address space.
Most people know this one. IPv6 offers 128-bit addresses, versus the current 32-bit ones. Suffice to say we will never run out of IPv6 addresses.
- End-to-end connectivity.
To cope with the IPv4 address shortage, many companies, school districts, and home users are forced to employ NAT. NAT by design destroys native end-to-end connectivity. With IPv6, there is no need for VPNs, because your Palm Pilot can connect to your office desktop (firewall permitting, of course.)
- Better security.
With end-to-end connectivity, obviously security is of critical importance. IPv6 mandates IPSec implementations, providing serious end-to-end encryption and authentication. All IPv6 hosts must include IPSec support.
- Better mobility.
Similar to cell phone roaming, IPv6 mandates Mobile IPv6, a protocol that allows computers to move yet still retain full connectivity at their "home" IP addresses. Corporate workers can take their laptops to coffee houses and still work, fully protected by IPSec.
- A better protocol.
There are significant advantages of IPv6's protocol. For example, unlike IPv4, source and destination addresses are always at the same offset in IPv6 packages, an important advantage when designing ASICs for high-speed routers.
If you read all that, as you see, IPv6 isn't just a networking protocol! In fact, it's better to think of IPv6 as a bundle of technologies, the protocol being just one of them. IPv6, when implemented correctly, will make the Internet an even more integral part of our culture.
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