IPv6 – The Future
The last and most important future work topic must be the design, implementation and evaluation of a pure IPv6 network. The main idea of tunnelling transition mechanisms was to set a stage for smooth migration between the new and old protocol. With all the tunnelling techniques and encapsulation aside IPv6 was created to clean up the old protocol and in essence make the improve the protocol in every way.
Obviously there is a lot of controversy over how the protocol will evolve, and ultimately replace the old protocl IPv4. I know that Google one of the global IT leaders is looking into developing the new protocol.
Apparently large companies like Google and others like them are worried that the new protocol will cost them millions of dollars. The reason being, because small companies working will not see the need to switch over to the new protocol. As far as they are aware, there is no problem with the current state of the internet. Why should they spend all of this money upgrading their routers and swictches? Software developers who work within IPv4 are also going to be at high risk when the change takes place, remembering, the change is inevitable.
One rumor is, they are going to start charging more for Public IPv4 addresses, and additionally making IPv6 addresses cheaper, which would then give companies an insentive to buy into IPv6. A long shot, but a good move in the right direction.
The truth is, no one really knows for how long IPv4 is going to live. We kept it alive with public IP addressing and NAT, classless addressing schemes and other brilliant ideas. However, the Internet Protocol is hugely out of date and in need for change. Bring on IPv6, only good things can come of it (we hope).
