IPv6 is a necessary upgrade to the IPv4 Internet address scheme. Traffic on the Internet is transferred in routed packets of data; an address scheme specifies the IP address of the source and the destination. The number of IP addresses that can exist is determined by the structure of the addressing scheme. With IPv4, the number of addresses needed already exceeds the capacity of that address scheme. IPv6 is the scheme intended to remedy that shortcoming by several orders of magnitude.
IPv6 does not "inter-operate" with IPv4. A deployed IPv6 network is parallel to and independent of any existing IPv4 networks. Traffic can be passed between the two networks by the use of special gateways that translate the protocols, but the most current versions of today's computer operating systems are not designed to favor one over the other and can handle either one. Software applications that use network capabilities have been redesigned to handle IPv6 traffic and are now in or near general release.
Basic network hardware, such as switches and adapters, are not affected at all because they handle network traffic in a way that does not involve IP addresses. However, any networking device that does route IP traffic or that depends on IP addresses to work properly must be upgraded in order to use IPv6. Such upgrades should involve only the replacement of a software stack for IPv6, but it may not be possible to upgrade some types of equipment.
In 2008, IPv6 was successfully implemented for the telecommunications structure of the Summer Olympic Games. Most modern cell phones currently use IPv6 technology with no problems. World IPv6 Day last June, a one-day temporary implementation event with 400 participants world-wide, was a complete success.
However, next June's World IPv6 Launch Day will set up the protocol in real-world use, permanently. IPv4 will not be going away immediately, but it is expected that at least 1% of each participating organization's subscribers will be using IPv6 from that date onward. Among those committed to deploying IPv6 on that date are:
o Cisco
o Comcast
o AT&T
o Akamai
o Time Warner Cable
o D-Link
o Yahoo!
o Google
o Microsoft Bing
o Facebook
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