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IPv6: Four Steps to Take Now: Page 3 of 3

4. Create a detailed deployment plan. Good planning is all about reducing cost and limiting risk. An analysis of the impacts of IPv4 address depletion on your ability to conduct Internet business, and the scope of an IPv6 deployment, prevents both the risks inherent in waiting too long and having to deploy in "panic mode" and the high costs from moving sooner than you need to. Important elements in your deployment plan include:

>> Knowledge of who your users and customers are. What content, services and applications do you make available to them? What is your forecast business growth over the next five years, and what parts of your network must support that growth?

>> Realistic project timelines. Most of the present challenges associated with IPv6 deployments are the direct result of stalling until IPv4 address depletion limits your options.

>> Evaluation and selection of best-fit IPv6 technologies. A large toolbox of IPv6 deployment technologies is available to you. There is simple dual stacking, which makes interfaces "bilingual," so that systems can respond to incoming packets of either IP version and originate packets of either version based on DNS responses. There are statically configured tunnels to a wide variety of automatic tunnels to full protocol translators. And there's a lot in between. Understanding the capabilities, applications, and limitations of the available technologies ensures that you're selecting the best options.

>> Testing. Trial runs are important with any new technology deployment, and that goes double for IPv6. Although IPv6 has been around for some time, its exposure in production networks is still limited. Because of this, consider the IPv6 code in systems immature until proven otherwise. Predeployment testing for standards compliance and system interoperability reduces the number of surprises you'll encounter.

Brave New World

There's no going back to IPv4--and that's a good thing, because IPv6 will enable growth. Planning for IPv6 now doesn't necessarily mean deploying it now. It means you have a clear perspective on the future of your network, and your business.

We predict that most companies have about a year before push comes to shove; exceptions are federal government agencies, federal contractors, and multinationals. Our full report, at information week.com/analytics/ipv6, includes sample case studies for these orgs, as well as a healthcare provider. So don't just sit there--start assembling your team.

5 IPv6 Musts
1. Focus on IP address design and management. Start the IPv6 prefix assignment application process now. Stop worrying about conserving addresses and start thinking about adding meaning to individual hex digits. And ditch the spreadsheet to track all this.

2. Update network support systems. Do you have an internal DNS infrastructure? Can nameservers support both IPv4 A and IPv6 AAAA records? If they're dual stacked, how do they respond to a name query when there are both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses assigned?

3. Budget for security updates and expertise. End-to-end IPsec notwithstanding, security systems tend to be the problem children in IPv6 deployments. Not everything will survive the transition, so allocate some funds here.

4. Understand the lingo. Tools for monitoring, logging, alarms, configuration management, and change management have to understand IPv6, not speak it.

5. Have end-to-end training. Don't limit IPv6 education to IT. Going all-IPv6 positions your company as a technology leader. Make sure customer-facing personnel can tell the story.

Jeff Doyle is a consultant specializing in routing protocols, IPv6, MPLS, and networking best practices. Write to us at [email protected].