June 8, 2017

Failure Of Immediate IPv6 TransitionWhere Does The Fault Lie?

Tech experts agree that the explosive internet growth we see today was unexpected. Many business owners are still trying to cope up with the increase of internet enabled devices and the challenges they bring along.

Many of us are also aware that IPv4 address spaces were on the verge of exhaustion a few years ago.

The address blocks did end but this triggered the birth of a marketplace that many use to sell and buy IPv4 address blocks.

This brings us to the more important questions—why aren’t we migrating to IPv6 in the first place?

The Transition Costs A LOT

The internet is made up of plenty of switches and routers, which were inherently deigned to support IPv4. Obviously, replacing/upgrading them comes at a hefty price tag.

The solution? Time. While internet enabled user devices are updated on a regular basis, the numbers are in billions, and overwhelming to say the least. Even if we put in aggressive efforts, there will still be billions of print servers, gateways and devices incompatible with IPv6. Replacing core routers isn’t something that can be done immediately. All these issues boil down to two challenges—coping with the time and money demands.

Because Of NAT

The major driver behind the introduction of IPv6 was IPv4 exhaustion. IPv6 extended the total number of address spaces to more than 7.9×10^28.

However, by the time IPv6 features matured, NAT (Network Address Translation) was all over the internet, and it was extending the life of IPv4 protocols. The issue is that NAT has its own ups and downs. It wouldn’t be able to scale far enough for future internet needs.

Compatibility Issues

When IPv6 was introduced back in 1998, backward compatibility wasn’t considered. According to many tech experts, its incompatibility with IPv4 is the single most important reason behind the failure to immigrate.

The incompatibility means there is not one single, standard solution to work with software and hardware that still runs IPv4.

While the adoption of IPv6 still seems like it is in its initial phases, it is still happening. Many companies have already made dramatic changes to their IT infrastructure and many are in the process.

Fortunately, there is still a solution for those who choose not to make the move. At IPv4Mall we help business owners and companies buy and sell IPv4 addresses at the best market rates. Get in touch with us to discuss your IPv4 needs and get started.