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Repost: ISv4 to ISv6 - The Net is falling Redux
15 years ago
General
When the lion speaks, he roars cause that is what they do...
*Re posted with corrections*
Some furs and folk may have read this but the net is running out of IP addresses. Some of you may wonder what that matters. Basically, it is not so bad. There are issues but generally not a huge one.
It is all based on how computers talk. Computers don't go by names like you and I. They id each other by numbers. They have many numbers they can go by but the two that I want to talk about here are Static numbers (like a MAC address )and the dynamic numbers (like the IP address).
Lets look at your MAC address. Your computer's Mac Address says who made your computer and which number and often type of computer it is. This is how items like your Ipod knows when it is connected to the computer it usually is attached to or not. This number never changes. and technically you can never out of them because the number of numbers available is so high. (That is important) This also does not change. They are unique. This number is your computers name and even your router knows it by that number. (Again very useful) But the second number is the interesting one that links to your computer the dynamic IP address.
Your computer (or network if you have one) is attached to the internet by a dynamic numbers called an IP. It says where your computer is on the net and in the world (in general). It is given to you by your ISP. When you go to a places on the web that place is a computer with an ip address as well. The problem is that there are a lot of computers in the world. And so many that we are running out of numbers for them. And when you run out numbers then you can't add any more. Seem like no big deal.
Well it is a bit of an issue. These numbers are dynamic and that means they change based on who is on the web and time. What many of you don't know if that your address changes. You loose it every so often and get a new one. So think about it like a game of music but instead of taking a chair away every so often, a new person comes in to the game looking for a number chair. Each computer modem (That is what connects you to the web) is like a player and the ip address is the Chair. Well what happens when we have one more player then chair. That player can't get on. And what happens if more players come and there are still no more chairs? You can't get a chair. Even if you had a chair yesterday if you don't get one today you have no chair. No chair no net. This stack of chairs is called IPv4.
IPs running out is nothing new. Computer Scientists have known of the problem for a while. Then they came up with more chairs in a new stack called IPv6. This stack gives us a lot more numbers to use.
How many? Enough so that everyone can have a billion no problem. The stack of numbers in IPv6 is actually bigger then the number of stars in this galaxy.
That is what the switch over from IPv4 to the IPv6 is all about. If you have Apple Snow leopard or Windows Vista or 7 you are covered. if you are still using XP there is a free upgrade. If you are on Ubuntu you have been covered for years. The only thing left to do is to have a modem that either can used with IPv6 or can run software for it when your ISP to turns it on.
That is all that is going on. Even if you don't have to do nearly as much as for the Y2K issue. But now at least the tech Guys are talking about.
The main reason for reposing this was to get the countdown site address correct.The proper countdown address for the switch is this one :
http://penrose.uk6x.com/
Some furs and folk may have read this but the net is running out of IP addresses. Some of you may wonder what that matters. Basically, it is not so bad. There are issues but generally not a huge one.
It is all based on how computers talk. Computers don't go by names like you and I. They id each other by numbers. They have many numbers they can go by but the two that I want to talk about here are Static numbers (like a MAC address )and the dynamic numbers (like the IP address).
Lets look at your MAC address. Your computer's Mac Address says who made your computer and which number and often type of computer it is. This is how items like your Ipod knows when it is connected to the computer it usually is attached to or not. This number never changes. and technically you can never out of them because the number of numbers available is so high. (That is important) This also does not change. They are unique. This number is your computers name and even your router knows it by that number. (Again very useful) But the second number is the interesting one that links to your computer the dynamic IP address.
Your computer (or network if you have one) is attached to the internet by a dynamic numbers called an IP. It says where your computer is on the net and in the world (in general). It is given to you by your ISP. When you go to a places on the web that place is a computer with an ip address as well. The problem is that there are a lot of computers in the world. And so many that we are running out of numbers for them. And when you run out numbers then you can't add any more. Seem like no big deal.
Well it is a bit of an issue. These numbers are dynamic and that means they change based on who is on the web and time. What many of you don't know if that your address changes. You loose it every so often and get a new one. So think about it like a game of music but instead of taking a chair away every so often, a new person comes in to the game looking for a number chair. Each computer modem (That is what connects you to the web) is like a player and the ip address is the Chair. Well what happens when we have one more player then chair. That player can't get on. And what happens if more players come and there are still no more chairs? You can't get a chair. Even if you had a chair yesterday if you don't get one today you have no chair. No chair no net. This stack of chairs is called IPv4.
IPs running out is nothing new. Computer Scientists have known of the problem for a while. Then they came up with more chairs in a new stack called IPv6. This stack gives us a lot more numbers to use.
How many? Enough so that everyone can have a billion no problem. The stack of numbers in IPv6 is actually bigger then the number of stars in this galaxy.
That is what the switch over from IPv4 to the IPv6 is all about. If you have Apple Snow leopard or Windows Vista or 7 you are covered. if you are still using XP there is a free upgrade. If you are on Ubuntu you have been covered for years. The only thing left to do is to have a modem that either can used with IPv6 or can run software for it when your ISP to turns it on.
That is all that is going on. Even if you don't have to do nearly as much as for the Y2K issue. But now at least the tech Guys are talking about.
The main reason for reposing this was to get the countdown site address correct.The proper countdown address for the switch is this one :
http://penrose.uk6x.com/
