Riding the IP6 wave?

[xchaotic]

To be honest, it's been a while since I've done work related to purely configuring routers,
my CCNP is outdated etc.
But just out of curiosity, I wonder:
Can the shortage of IP4 adresses bring about a big wave of IPv6 contracts?
Better yet, could this be somehow turned into a PlanB somehow - delivering a whole migration solution for smaller companies perhaps?
At least from my perspective the problem, while technically cumbersome, is most difficult from a management/SLA level - services need to remain operational, there is very little to gain, so everyone is holding out, but I guess as IP4 addresses start becoming expensive, more and more businesses will consider switching, I guess?
Anyway, as usual, any feedback is most welcome.

[PropertyCrashUK]

There was an interesting article in Moneyweek a few weeks back which was basically warning business types of the importance of moving from IP4 to IP6 and it was made to sound like Y2K again.

Up until then I had not given IP6 'migration' a second thought but seeing it crop up in a business mag and I thought... Hmm...

I think in 2011 we will begin to see lots of contract work wanting IP6 expertise now that business types are reading about it in their business rags.

[GCR99]

The problem is more acute in the Far East, where they are already rolling out IPv6 networks as the IPv4 allocations are now exhausted. In Europe and the US, there are still plenty available, in fact if the ISP's clawed back unused address space there wouldn't be a problem anywhere.

[VectraMan]

Is there any practical application for IPv6 yet? Other than "because IPv4 is running out"?

Seems to me near everyone already has the IPv4 addresses they need and with NAT they can expand indefinitely, so there isn't much of a business case for switching to IPv6.

[Jog On]

Is there any practical application for IPv6 yet? Other than "because IPv4 is running out"?

Seems to me near everyone already has the IPv4 addresses they need and with NAT they can expand indefinitely, so there isn't much of a business case for switching to IPv6.

That's what I was thinking, other than putting in new routers with IP6 WAN interfaces I don't see much more rolling out to be done for corporations. NOCs/ISPs on the other hand could be a different story altogether.

I'm on the Windows 7 wave anyway

[Bluespider]

Whats actually required and what can be sold to the clientco are generally 2 different things entirely.
If clientco. wants peace of mind that they wont drop off of the internet overnight, I'd quite happily spend the next 6-12 months performing a full audit and making the necessary changes to position clientco in the best possible place ahead of their peers.

[monobrow]

Whats actually required and what can be sold to the clientco are generally 2 different things entirely.
If clientco. wants peace of mind that they wont drop off of the internet overnight, I'd quite happily spend the next 6-12 months performing a full audit and making the necessary changes to position clientco in the best possible place ahead of their peers.

in very simple terms, afaik, IPv6 is an ISP/MPLS type problem, so unless you are in this market, I wouldn't worry too much about it right now. coexistence exists and is fine from client edge. so v4 will be around for some considerable time yet.

[Bluespider]

in very simple terms, afaik, IPv6 is an ISP/MPLS type problem, so unless you are in this market, I wouldn't worry too much about it right now. coexistence exists and is fine from client edge. so v4 will be around for some considerable time yet.

I know that and you know that, but clientco may not know that. It may be morally ambiguous but I'm a capitalist!

[xchaotic]

I know that and you know that, but clientco may not know that. It may be morally ambiguous but I'm a capitalist!

+1 for this - y2k was also a non-issue in many case - we'll never find out how much was overspent but the benefit was that there was budget for bugfixing.

Now the hype is high the likes of Google and Facebook are helping to market and sell the IPv6 transition, so we can benefit again.
Proof:
World IPv6 day

[Sysman]

Seems to me near everyone already has the IPv4 addresses they need and with NAT they can expand indefinitely, so there isn't much of a business case for switching to IPv6.

From another angle, the shortage of IPv4 addresses means that you still have to pay a high price to get a fixed one. In my neck of the woods it's impossible unless you go for a business level contract (typically 5 times the price and it might be a slower line).

I suspect that the ISPs themselves are dragging their feet and don't want to let go of this income.

But on the other hand, Ars Technica: There is no Plan B: why the IPv4-to-IPv6 transition will be ugly. "Ugly" looks like a contracting opportunity, but as ever, you'll need to pick the right horse.