Nigeria: Some Internet Users May Face Disruption June 8

 

Some Internet users worldwide will experience some difficulties in accessing the World Wide Web (www) next week Wednesday, following plans by world Internet bodies to carryout a one day test run on the new Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPV6).

The test run will make it impossible for Internet Service Providers (ISPs), to connect to yahoo, google and other Internet platforms, once the test run commences June 8.

The reason is that all ISPs in Nigeria and most ISPs of the world are currently on Internet Protocol version 4 (IPV4), which is not compatible with IPV6. The disruption is expected to last for only one day.

The world bodies, which include Internet Society (ISOC), the managerial home for the groups responsible for Internet infrastructure standards; Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and the Internet Architecture Board (IAB), will come together on June 8 to commemorate the World IPV6 Day, which has to do with test running of the new IP version.

The planned test run is sequel to the allocation of the last batch of IPv4 addresses by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). It therefore became imperative for the deployment of IPv6, to enable ISPs connect to the new platform.

In technical parlance, Internet Protocol (IP) is simply the address of a device used in connecting to the Internet.

The Internet platform only recognises the IP address in providing access to the Internet. It comes in different versions, and the world was operating version 4 (IPV4), until its numbers were exhausted recently, leading to the development of IPV6, a higher version.

IPv6 is the next generation IP address standard intended to supplement, and eventually replace, the IPv4 protocol that most Internet services use today.

To help ensure the continued rapid growth of the Internet as a platform for innovation, IPv6 tackles some of IPv4’s shortcomings, most notably a limited amount of remaining addresses.

While the technical foundations of IPv6 are well established, significant work remains to deploy and begin using IPv6 capabilities.

Addressing the issue of migration from IPV4 to IPV6 at a roundtable forum organised by DigitalSENSE Africa (DSA) in Lagos on Thursday, the former Minister of Communications, Olawale Ige, called for the sensitisation of Internet users, and readiness of ISPs to adapt to the new IP version.

Since IPv6 is central to the continued growth and stability of the Internet, the Internet Society is working with its members and other organisations to promote its deployment by sharing information and helping to build the required operational capability among the Internet community.

SOURCE: AllAfrica

5 COMMENTS

  1. This article shows a critical misunderstanding of what World IPv6 Day is about. Specifically, IPv4 is not being turned off – everything will be dual-stack (IPv4 + IPv6).

    As long as you don’t have broken IPv6 connectivity, you won’t notice whether you are using IPv4 or IPv6 – it will jsut work, the way we expect it to.

    /TJ