Briefers Say IPv6 Transition Needs ‘Step Two’

Better agency performance is the IPv6 transition goal, said Kshemendra Paul, chief architect at the Office of E-Gov and IT at the Office of Management and Budget. OMB issued a requirement in 2005 that all federal agencies be capable of passing IPv6 packets on their backbone networks by June 30, 2008. The transition is necessary and urgent, since IPv4 addresses are projected to run out by or before 2011, said Paul. Moreover, IPv4 has limitations that may be “inhibitors to growth of the Internet,” and its use as a global networking solution, said the IPv6 Transition Guidance issued by the Federal Chief Information Officer Council. Paul said OMB has been working with the Federal IPv6 Working Group to identify strategies and provide guidance to ensure a smooth transition.

The IPv6 transition has three phases, Peter Tseronis, chairman of the Federal IPv6 Working Group, said. The first, which ended June 30, was the preparation. During it, agencies were to integrate the next generation IP into core backbone network infrastructure and substantiate an enterprise architecture framework for IPv6 adoption, he said. Phase two includes a plan to develop “an open, public formal testing program” for IPv6 technologies, he said. In phase two, most applications software and non-backbone devices automatically will switch to IPv6 upon update. Meanwhile, network backbone devices will support both IPv4 and IPv6 network communications while applications and devices evolve, he said. Agencies will develop guidance for secure IPv6 deployment and implementation of Standards Profile 500-267 recommendations by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, he said. Phase two also will set “a common interoperability strategy” for the co-existence of IPv4 and IPv6 through the gradual transition, he said. “We will see the retirement of IPv4 in the final phase,” Tseronis said.

The Department of Veteran Affairs IPv6 program just completed phase one. According to VA, agencies should start the transition early since the process takes longer than planned, said Steve Pirzchalski, director of network design, planning and engineering at VA. Meanwhile, IPv6 training should reach as many as possible, instead of being limited to technical groups, he said. More importantly, testing is “an absolute requirement” for operational deployment. “The more testing partners, including internal and external, the better,” he said.

Another study comes from Federal Acquisition Service, now in the final stage of phase one, said Gene Sokolowski, deputy CTO of integrated technology services. The agency formed three teams for its transition. Sokolowski said the Emerging Technologies Team monitors IPv6 developments, identifying emerging IPv6 capabilities. The Communications Team pinpoints agency IPv6 transition needs and alerts staff to emerging capabilities. Finally the IPv6 Portfolio Liaison Team helps work new IPv6 capabilities into the Information Technology Service Portfolio.

The U.S. is not alone in moving to IPv6. Since 2003 Japan, China and South Korean have been developing IPv6 in a joint effort. Factors making IPv6 a global trend include rapidly changing military requirements, sensor technology’s rapid maturation and the global race for IT dominance, said IPv6 Forum member David Rubal. IPv6 Forum is a global consortium of Internet vendors aiming to promote IPv6. On the future IPv6 battlefield, countries will see rivalries on IT infrastructure, voice, video and data transmission and securities, he said. Countries also will see myriad IP-based sensors, munitions, logistics and location and presence applications, he said.