[AusNOG] [v6z] Why you shouldn't worry about switching to IPv6 now

[Mark Andrews]

In message <BANLkTi=UoPyy7y7a7hYo7ehWOnHb58igdA at mail.gmail.com>, Scott Howard w
rites:
> On Thu, Apr 14, 2011 at 4:09 AM, Tom Storey <tom at snnap.net> wrote:
> 
> > Is it just me or does anyone else find this article disturbing?
> >
> >
> > http://www.techworld.com.au/article/383241/why_shouldn_t_worry_about_switch
> ing_ipv6_now/
> >
> 
> But is it wrong?
> 
> Should my parents be thinking about upgrading to IPv6?  Or should they just
> carry on paying their ISP $40 a month so that they can get email and Google?

They should be ensuring that whatever new stuff they buy supports IPv6 as
well as IPv4.
 
> Should I be worrying if my Blackberry supports IPv6?  Or should I just keep
> paying my telco for my data plan and accessing my email on it as I always
> have?
 
Well IPv6 is on the roadmap[1].  The real question is when your telco will
turn on IPv6 support.  My phone has had IPv6 support for years now.  My
telco doesn't so I'm stuck using IPv4.

> Should I be worried that my web host doesn't support IPv6? Will there be
> people who won't be able to access it in the near future if I don't have
> IPv6 on it?

Define near?  Do you do per IP rate limiting?  Do you depend on one IP per
customer?
 
> I really see this playing out a lot like when Australia changed from
> "standard" petrol to unleaded petrol.  The change didn't occur with the
> consumer - you didn't suddenly have to go out and buy a new car, just
> because a new type of fuel was being introduced. Instead we replied on the
> petrol stations to give us full compatibility - you could pull into any
> petrol station with any type of car, and know that it would "work"
> regardless.
 
Governments also band the sale of new vehicles that ran on leaded
petrol.  Perhaps the sale of "IPv4 only" equipment should be band.

> Like it or not, that's how IPv6 is going to have to happen. Customers aren't
> going to be upgrading in the next few months, and possibly not even within
> the next few years - it's going to be up to the ISPs to handle the issues
> and let the consumers carry on as they are today.

Customers can't even test there equipment because ISP's havn't done their
part.
 
> Ask yourself which you find more disturbing - this article, or the that I
> can count the number of ISPs in Australia that are even close to being IPv6
> ready on one hand.

The real disturbing part is that lots of consumers are going to be spending
money on equipment that should have a 10+ years of working life yet will
need to be replaced in 2-3 due to the short sighted manufactures.  Anything
that needs to talk to the world should be dual stacked yesterday.
 
>   Scott.

[1] http://www.blackberryforums.com.au/forums/general-bes-discussion/834-support-ipv6.html
-- 
Mark Andrews, ISC
1 Seymour St., Dundas Valley, NSW 2117, Australia
PHONE: +61 2 9871 4742                 INTERNET: marka at isc.org