Though the present Internet Protocol version is IPv4, with the tremendous growth of the Internet in recent years the need has surfaced for a more robust Internet Protocol version; the IPv4 addressing and routing mechanisms are being stretched to their limits. Moreover, IPv4 lacks the proper security and authentication techniques critical to meeting todayÂ’s business needs. For these reasons, the Internet Protocol version 6, or IPv6, has been developed. IPv6 has not been implemented widely. This can be attributed to two major factors; the first is that the implementation is a major undertaking that has an effect on the whole Internet, its backbone providers, local ISPs, and customers. The second reason, some experts believe, is a reluctance to go forward in North America and Europe, where the pressure of shortage of the address space is much lower than in the rapidly developing East-Asian regions.

The transition process from IPv4 to IPv6 requires considerable thought to compatibility issues and appropriate methods for the deployment of IPv6. In a document written by Juha Lehtovirta, a Finnish telecommunications expert with Tascomm Engineering Oy, the requirements and techniques for satisfying such constraints are provided. Also, the transition process from the network and application levels are delineated.

See Also: Internet; Internet Protocol (IP).