The standard IPv6 on the Web is soon to run out of available addresses and to raise public awareness of the move to IPv6, Google, Facebook and Yahoo are taking the lead. According to this Telegraph report, the IPv6 platform will ensure the world does not run out of Web addresses, yet only 0.2 percent of Web users actually have access to this new protocol.

This lack of access and awareness creates the demand for a ‘World IPv6 Day,’ designed to encourage the adoption of this new platform. A global campaign is being led by Vint Cerf to encourage Web service providers and IT managers to switch from the current IPv4 to IPv6.

While the new IPv6 platform offers trillions of new Web addresses, modems and routers that only use IPv4 cannot access IPv6 addresses. And, while there is a need to change, it is imperative that consumers do not lose access to any part of the web in the process as they play a vital role in the standard software and hardware upgrade cycle.

Those leading the change hope that the availability of new Web addresses will allow for more connected devices, including tablet computers, while also making way for more mundane devices to gain access to Web addresses.

On the Google Blog, Network Engineer, Lorenzo Colitti, wrote that Google has been an open supporter of moving to IPv6 since early 2008. It was at that time the Internet search giant first began offering search over IPv6. Since then, the company has brought IPv6 to YouTube, while also helping ISPs to enable Google over IPv6 by default to their users.

On ‘World IPv6 Day,’ Google, along with Facebook, Yahoo and other leading companies, will enable IPv6 on their main websites for 24 hours.

Colitti shared that current Google measurements show 99.95 percent of Google users will be unaffected by this move. In rare cases, he wrote, some users may experience connectivity problems as a result of misconfigured or misbehaving home network devices.

In other IPv6 news, TechZone360 reported that carriers are testing IP services to meet IPv6 deadlines, and are addressing specific pain points, such as functionality migration, regression and interoperability, and security and resilience. 

According to MU Dynamics officials, carriers should be re-testing every element within their current networks as well as ensuring networks under development can also support IPv4 and IPv6 simultaneously.

MU Dynamics announced last month that they offer an innovative approach to testing IPv6 products and services. Mu Dynamics promises that if their solution is chosen for IPv6 testing, customers can reduce the time it takes to test by making it easy to create and execute real-world IPv6 migration testing.

Susan J. Campbell is a contributing editor for TechZone360 and has also written for eastbiz.com. To read more of Susan’s articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Jaclyn Allard