NTT Communications (NTT Com) Innovative IP Architecture Centre’s IPv6 experts Mr. Taka Mizuguchi (Manager, Ubiquitous Communication Service Project) and Mr. Dai Kuwabara (Research Engineer) attended Asia Pacific Network Information Centre’s (APNIC) Workshop for Engineers recently as guest speakers, and shared their first-hand experience on the deployment of IPv6.
IPv6 Benefits from Wide Variety of Applications/Services with No IP Address Exhaustion Concern
 The experts’ presentation draws an analogy on IPv4 and IPv6 address potentials as to “a bucket of sand” and “sand amount equivalent to the Sun’s volume”, remarking that IPv6 realizes a wide variety of applications and services in a simple and scalable manner with virtually no concerns of IP address limitations or depletion. Noteworthy, IPv6 development has been quite mature to the extent that most well-known web/mail servicing applications such as SMTP, POP3 / IMAP and HTTP server are all IPv6 enabled.
Mizuguchi and Kuwabara explained that even enterprises deploying IPv4 can start migrating to IPv6 to maximize their applications with NTT Coms' IPv6/IPv4 Dual Service providing both IPv6 and IPv4 connectivity to the Global IP Backbone using only one access circuit. They also recommended enterprises to simply turn on IPv6 functions in their implementations as IPv6 protocol is currently stable enough, with no additional cost for IPv6 single devices, and that almost all routers and Layer 3 switches are IPv6-capable already. They also shared that IPv6/IPv4 Dual Stack Backbone has shown a good performance without any critical problems so far.
Very Encouraging IPv6 Deployment Experience
 Citing NTT Com’s IPv6 deployment experience, Mizuguchi and Kuwabara elucidate that NTT Com is among the forerunners in support of the new IPv6 protocol with its deployment of the world’s first IPv6 Connectivity Services on a commercial basis in 2001. Other Japanese ISPs can use the same specifications to deliver smooth commercial services since the second half of 2002.
NTT Com’s IPv6 Access Service has successfully delivered Configured Tunnel (deploying IPv6 over IPv4 technology) for people who have one/more fixed IPv4 Global Addresses; offering IPv6/IPv4 Dual Stack Connectivity service on a single ADSL line and Tunneling Service which have NAT Traversal capabilities. Notably, The company’s endeavours and commitment to bridge IPv4 and IPv6 has won “Best New Service” in the World Communication Awards in 2004.
IPv6 Reigns the Future
Moreover, Mizuguchi and Kuwabara affirmed that people’s interest for non-internet application (Intranet, IP-VPN) of IPv6 has been ever-increasing, and heralded that IPv6 for Intra network is also ready to launch now. In conclusion, IPv6 deployment is simple and easy whereas no additional cost for dual stack network is required. Meanwhile, IPv6 commercial services have become popular in Japan, as well as in many parts of the world. IPv4 address exhaustion might happen within several years1, making it of higher urgency for network/communication applications to start migration. It is envisaged that the protocol will eventually be superceded by IPv6.
Please click the above diagram to enlarge the image
Note 1:
According to a 2006 March report entitled “Analysis and Recommendations on the Exhaustion of IPv4 Address Space” by Japan Network Information Center, IPv4 exhaustion may happen as quick as January 2009.
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