IPv6

IPv6 is the next generation of internet addressing.  The Internet Chiefs have realized that we are running out of addresses for the internet.  Current technology, IPv4, has not changed since it was defined in 1981.  With the internet running out of addresses and lack of standardized to support next generation technologies the IPv6 task force set out to define a new addressing standard.

IPv6 is the answer to many modern problems.  From the depletion of current IP addresses based on the IPv4 standards, problems created using network address translations (NAT), the need for simple configuration and IP level security to better QoS support for technologies like VoIP.

As part of the new address scheme the address space is now 128 bits long versus 32 bits for IPv4. This means there are now approximately 340,282,366,920,938,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 addresses available for needs today and in the future.

An important thing to note is that while most new network hardware currently supports IPv6, not all of it does. The other large concern is for application support ranging from the home-grown, one-off corporate applications to services such as DNS.  These systems must be analyzed, upgraded, and tested to support the new scheme.

While the United States has not officially adopted IPv6, many other countries have. The Netherlands, China, and Korea are some of the countries that have identified IPv6 as the required addressing scheme for the entire country.  The Department of Defense (DoD) and NASA, late last year, proposed a change to the federal acquisition regulations (FAR) that any network components sold to the federal government must support IPv6.  The DoD has a target of migrating all of its networks to IPv6 by 2008.

Your organization should start planning now for the support of IPv6 to ensure interoperability with the next generation internet.

10G-Base T NICs

Two companies have announced the first generation of 10G-Base T network cards based upon the IEEE 802.3an standard.  Chelsio Communications and Tehuti Networks both announced new products which utilize Teranetics chipsets on their NICs. A third manufacturer, Blade Networks, announced that they have a  blade server switch that will support 10G Base-T in an effort to collapse some of the of the network complexities that exist in today's blade server deployments. More can be found about these products at http://www.chelsio.com/,  http://www.tehutinetworks.net/, and http://www.bladenetwork.net/

Major switching manufacturers are planning for release of 10G Base-T hardware in the first quarter of this year.

IEEE & 100G Ethernet

The IEEE announced that a new study group would start hammering out a new standard for 100G Ethernet speeds.  A formal task force if planned to be created some time this year with a tentative final specification completed some time in 2010. Stay tuned for more from this group. 

In this 'world of performance' Infrastructure Insights has the tools and experience necessary to test these new systems. We can help clients work their way through the pitfalls of implementing a mitigated cat6 system, designing a new augmented category 6 system, or certifying that an existing system will support 10GBase-T.

Infrastructure Insights knows how important it is to get 110% of every dollar spent.  It is critical for IT & Facility managers to know that their infrastructure is there to support the system demands. 2IINC is here to solve your problems and provide effective solutions to your network infrastructure needs.  

Call our experts today to find out what your infrastructure needs to support 10GBase-T.  (972)423-5110.