ipv6

9to5Mac is reporting an issue involving Apple's AirPort utility and Time Capsule updates released last week. A number of Mac users who use IPv6-based tunneling to connect to their devices have found they can no longer do so after installing the latest firmware and updates to their AirPort and Time Capsule devices.

This problem mirrors similar past issues with firmware updates on Apple's router devices, and is likely from a small configuration bug in the firmware. Unfortunately the issue likely can only be fixed with a supplemental update. In the meantime, if you use IPv6 tunneling and are … Read more

Every now and again, you have to rebuild the Internet from scratch. That's what began in earnest in 2012, as many Net powers powered up their sites on a next-gen network technology called IPv6 that's got vastly more room for individual devices than the current IPv4 that's been used since the Internet began.

With the world running out of IPv4 Internet addresses, network engineers have to use various tricks to accommodate all the new mobile phones, PCs, and servers joining the Net every day. IPv6 makes room for them and for all the Internet-enabled fire alarms, pet … Read more

Here's another sign that the economic powerhouse of China is a rising power in online matters, too.

The 46th meeting of ICANN, the body tasked with overseeing the administration of the Internet, will take place in Beijing from April 7 to 12 of next year.

"It simply was a strong proposal," ICANN president and CEO Rod Beckstrom said during a press conference in Prague this morning. "A quarter of the Internet's users are in China...it simply makes a lot of sense."

The ICANN committee was especially keen on holding the event in China'… Read more

U.S. and Canadian law enforcement agencies are warning that a historic switch to the next-generation Internet protocol called IPv6 may imperil investigations by making it more difficult to trace who's using which electronic address.

FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Royal Canadian Mounted Police officials have told industry representatives that IPv6 traceability is necessary to identify people suspected of crimes. The FBI has even suggested that a new law may be necessary if the private sector doesn't do enough voluntarily.

Investigations stemming from kidnappings, the September 11 terrorist attacks, and the Mytob worm have involved tracing previous-generation IPv4 … Read more

Internet Protocol version 6, otherwise known as IPv6, launches today, opening a way to for all of us to keep connecting a wider range of ever-more esoteric devices to the Internet.

Why IPv6 is important to you Without IPv6, we would soon hit the upper limit of connectable devices. IPv4, the current standard, offers only 4.3 billion addresses and they're getting gobbled up. As my colleague Stephen Shankland notes, it's a real problem for businesses that want to set up new Internet services or for carriers that want to sell another few million smartphones.

If the businesses … Read more

Today is the day when IPv6 is permanently enabled by home-networking equipment manufacturers and Web companies around the world. So what do you do to get ready?

First of all, there's really nothing you have to do right away. The transition to IPv6 will be a slow process, and in the meantime IPv4 devices will still work. In fact, there are IPv4-to-IPv6 transition protocols, known as "dual-stack" protocols, that make it possible to wrap IPv6 addresses within IPv4 packets to help legacy devices work during the transition. In the long term, it's better to make sure your network devices support IPv6 natively. Some of them can be upgraded to support IPv6 via firmware, but others you might have to replace with new devices.

Speaking of new devices, the most important networking device for your home or small office network is the router. The broadband modem is important, too, but most likely it's the responsibility of the service provider to upgrade that.

Following is the list of top 5 wireless routers that are IPv6-ready.… Read more

The next-generation Internet technology called IPv6, vastly more accommodating than its predecessor, began arriving for a small but significant fraction of Internet users today.

Several technology powerhouses are trying to encourage adoption the IPv4 sequel through an Internet Society event called the World IPv6 Launch that began today. (Well, actually it started at 5 p.m. PT yesterday -- blame the time-zone complications of global events.)

But start it did. The organizers want to keep tabs on the IPv6 performance during this sensitive introductory phase, and their data shows the arrival of IPv6 connections.

I use the IPvFoo Chrome extension … Read more

As IPv6 Day heralds the enormous success of the Internet in commercial and social settings, the Internet community faces a need to meet unanticipated demand for IPv4 addresses.

During the transition from IPv4 to IPv6, a considerable number of agreements will be executed to ensure that the available supply of addresses is effectively matched with corresponding demand. However uncertainty may arise surrounding the time, cost, and potential disruption of Internet commerce. IPv4 purchase agreements must incorporate terms and conditions that address this risk. In this article, … Read more

"Predicting is hard, especially about the future," quips Vint Cerf -- and he should know.

That's because about 30 years ago, when the now-famous engineer was helping to design the technology that powers the Internet, Cerf decided just how many devices could connect to the network. His answer -- 2 to the 32nd power, or 4.3 billion -- looked awfully big at the time. A few decades later, we now know it's far short.

Accordingly, Google's chief Internet evangelist and one of the few people at the company who looks natural in a suit … Read more