F5 warns organisations to plan carefully on IPv6

F5 Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV), the global leader in Application Delivery Networking, today warns organisations not to take a migration to IPv6 lightly and consider the resources required to make a smooth transition possible, in light of the news that ICANN, the organisation responsible for managing the Internet’s addressing system, has started to add addresses in the new format to its servers.

While a move to the new IPv6 standard is a very important development as IPv4 addresses are not an infinite resource and will run out within only a few years, many organisations could face a number of challenges if they fail to implement a comprehensive and well-planned migration strategy.

“The problem is that the entire world will not switch to IPv6 at the same time, nor will many organisations be able to simply flip a switch and decide that all applications and all equipment will now be IPv6 instead of IPv4,” says Owen Cole, Technical Director UK&I, F5. “What is needed is a smart migration plan and tools to help provide the orderly transition between the two standards. Whereas previously there were uncertainties about how migration can be handled, tools are now available that seamlessly operate in both the IPv4 network as well as the IPv6 network with impunity and give the organisation the freedom to test, move and migrate their existing infrastructure at a controlled and manageable pace.”

Owen continues: “There are probably two equally possible scenarios in a smooth, controlled migration strategy. You can either attempt to migrate the clients to IPv6 while keeping the servers on IPv4, or you can attempt to migrate the servers to IPv6 while leaving the clients in an IPv4 environment.

“Moving the clients to IPv6 involves potentially touching every single client device and ensuring that the clients are all capable of interacting with the network via IPv6-enabled pathways. On the other hand, it is more likely that moving the servers to IPv6 will encounter application dependencies and potentially impact every user simultaneously if something goes wrong.”

Cole concludes: “Most organisations will find it much easier to migrate their applications first as the clients will continue, for some time to exhibit a need for using IPv4 communication in public resources. Whatever an organisation decides to do, it needs to be clear about the investment in terms of money, people, resources and technology needed to make a smooth migration possible—and companies should start thinking about these issues today if they don’t already have a plan in place.”