Do enterprise networks need to be upgraded to IPv6? What preparations should be made?

After decades of development and application, the exhaustion of IPv4 addresses has affected the development of the Internet. The upgrade from IPv4 to IPv6 is becoming more and more urgent. In November last year, a notice was issued to gradually enforce it. It will be gradually implemented by telecom operators and large Internet companies, and small and medium-sized enterprises will follow closely.

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Is it really urgent to upgrade to IPv6?

From a macro perspective, the implementation of 5G, big data, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, virtual reality and other large-scale applications have put forward higher requirements for IP addresses, and upgrading to IPv6 is the general trend; from a micro perspective, the network applications of various enterprises are becoming more and more extensive, but IP addresses are also hard to come by. Although upgrading to IPv6 is not so urgent, it is obviously better to upgrade early than late, and active is better than passive.

Advantages of IPv6 over IPv4

IPv6 has many advantages over IPv4, which are embodied in

• Inexhaustible number of addresses

IPv4 stipulates that the length of an IP address is 32, that is, there are 2^32 addresses; while the length of an IP address in IPv6 is 128, that is, there are 2^128 addresses. To exaggerate, if IPV6 is widely used, every grain of sand in the world will have a corresponding IP address. Unlike now, each family has several devices, and each company has dozens of devices that share the same IP address, so they have to use inefficient technology such as NAT.

• Small routing table

IPv6 addresses have followed the clustering principle from the beginning, which allows each route in the router's routing table to represent a subnet, greatly reducing the length of the router's routing table, increasing the speed at which the router forwards data packets, and reducing the router's performance requirements.

• Automatic configuration support

The management of the network is more convenient and faster, and the complexity of the network is reduced.

• Better security controls

The integrity and authenticity of each IPv6 data packet are guaranteed by encryption and anti-data packet spoofing technology. When using IPv6 networks, users can encrypt network layer data and verify IP packets, which greatly enhances network security.

What preparations do enterprises need to make to migrate to IPv6?

Upgrading an enterprise to IPv6 is a relatively complex task that requires comprehensive consideration and planning.

1. Provide IPv6-related training to IT personnel

Some aspects of the IPv6 standard are completely different from IPv4. IT teams need to do their homework to understand the new protocol and how it will work with devices and networks.

2. Analyze the current network structure and applications

It is necessary to evaluate the support for IPv6 based on the current network environment, including hardware and software. The support for IPv6 of network equipment such as switches, routers, firewalls, network cards, server operating systems, etc., and make necessary contingency plans for possible problems.

3. Set up a test environment

When you are unsure, it is necessary to first establish a small-scale test environment and seek solutions to possible problems through testing.

4. Make a plan and implement IPv6 step by step

Divide the network into several parts and gradually replace IPv6. Once the replacement is completed and running stably, the next step of replacement can be launched. This is a better way to complete the replacement step by step.