IPv4 versus IPv6
IPv6 Day is scheduled for 12 June 2011. Most internet service providers (ISP’s), major technology companies and of course, Google, Yahoo and Microsoft will be participating. The complete list of participants is available from the Internet Society (ISOC).
The ISOC sees to the overall well-being of the global internet. This is a very important task. The internet is the framework for most of our digital infrastructure.
What is IPv6?
IP is the abbreviation for “Internet protocol”. No, not “Intellectual property”! At least, not in this context. Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) is the current standard. Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) will be the new internet protocol.
IPv6 Day is only a test day
It is not a permanent transition to the new standard. IPv6 Day is a 24-hour period during which participants will run using IPv6 instead of IPv4. Complete transition to an exclusively IPv6 internet is still in the future. There is a very real urgency though. The most pressing concern is IP address availability. The IPv4 address space was exhausted, completely depleted, several months ago.
This animated IPv6-themed Google logo was featured during the 2010 IPv6 Implementors Conference. Unlike the usual Google *.jpeg logo, this image is formatted as a *.gif file.
Special Google IPv6 logo using GIF format
Google worked with internet organizations on the IPv6 transition for many years:
Since 2008, Google has hosted conferences focused on addressing and sharing IPv6 implementation experience, designs, and associated research.
