With the growing number of devices using the Internet, the current IPv4 is bursting at the seams. The world is now moving to IPv6 to accommodate billions of addresses.
About three decades ago, computers were used only in government offices and universities. They were bulky and expensive. Over the years, advances in technology have made them small, affordable, and apparently ubiquitous. There are billions of them now. And their numbers are growing as you read.
The Internet Protocol, or IP for short, manages the vast flow of information between these billions of devices. It attaches an “email return address” to all online requests and actions. This is called the IP address of your connection.
Technically, Internet Protocol (IP) is a network layer communication protocol for relaying datagrams across network boundaries.
We are currently using version 4 of the Internet Protocol, known as IPv4. Launched over three decades ago, it has several limitations, including the ability to serve billions of addresses.
IPv4 is a 32-bit numeric address written as four numbers separated by dots. Each group of numbers is called an octet.
It has a hosting limit of 4.3 billion addresses. This number may seem huge, but it is not. The Internet quickly runs out of addresses.
So, now the world is adopting the sixth version of the Internet protocol.
The main difference between IP version 4 and version 6 is the length of the address. An IPv4 address is a 32-bit numeric address, while an IPv6 address is a 128-bit hexadecimal address. The hexadecimal format uses both numbers and the alphabet in the address.
IPv6 can create 340 undecillion, which is 340 trillion trillion trillion addresses. So, as you might have guessed, enough for the foreseeable future. IPv6 also addresses the security flaws of IPv4 by providing end-to-end encryption.
Other benefits of the new Internet Protocol include simultaneous connectivity to different networks with a unique address on each network, and the ability to connect multiple corporate networks without forwarding.
India is also moving to Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6). In November 2021, the Department of Communications (DoT) issued a circular revising the transition schedule, setting December 2022 as the deadline for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to make changes to their network to comply with the latest Internet Protocol requirements. The circular states that June 30, 2022 is the last date to complete the transition of government organizations to IPv6.
Clearly, IPv6 has many advantages over IPv4, but the transition to a new Internet protocol cannot be done in a hurry, simply because replacing old IPv4 hardware would be expensive. Thus, IPv4 is being phased out, giving way to the gradual introduction of IPv6.
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