World IPv6 Launch : Internet switches to IPv6 , Trillions of IP Addresses Available
The Internet has moved to a new addressing system today, Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) , which will allow allocation of trillions of new IP addresses . The world was running out of available IP addresses with the 27 year old IPv4 addressing system , which allowed only 2^32 or 4.3 billion unique addresses .
While the IPv4 uses 32 bit addresses made up of 4 sets of numbers , the IPv6 uses 128bit addresses made up of 6 sets of numbers, allowing 2^128 or trillions of unique IP addresses . This would fulfill the growing need of web addresses to users in the Internet for years to come with almost infinite address space .
The transition to IPv6 occured at 0001 GMT Wednesday .
"To ensure the Internet can continue to grow and connect billions more people and devices around the world, thousands of companies and millions of websites have now permanently enabled the next generation of Internet Protocol (IPv6) for their products and services," the Internet Society, an advisory panel, said.
"Participants in World IPv6 Launch include the four most visited websites in the world -- Google, Facebook, YouTube, and Yahoo! -- as well as home router manufacturers and Internet Service Providers in more than 100 countries. By making IPv6 the 'new normal,' these companies are enabling millions of end users to enjoy its benefits without having to do anything themselves."
Source
The Internet has moved to a new addressing system today, Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) , which will allow allocation of trillions of new IP addresses . The world was running out of available IP addresses with the 27 year old IPv4 addressing system , which allowed only 2^32 or 4.3 billion unique addresses .
While the IPv4 uses 32 bit addresses made up of 4 sets of numbers , the IPv6 uses 128bit addresses made up of 6 sets of numbers, allowing 2^128 or trillions of unique IP addresses . This would fulfill the growing need of web addresses to users in the Internet for years to come with almost infinite address space .
The transition to IPv6 occured at 0001 GMT Wednesday .
"To ensure the Internet can continue to grow and connect billions more people and devices around the world, thousands of companies and millions of websites have now permanently enabled the next generation of Internet Protocol (IPv6) for their products and services," the Internet Society, an advisory panel, said.
"Participants in World IPv6 Launch include the four most visited websites in the world -- Google, Facebook, YouTube, and Yahoo! -- as well as home router manufacturers and Internet Service Providers in more than 100 countries. By making IPv6 the 'new normal,' these companies are enabling millions of end users to enjoy its benefits without having to do anything themselves."
Source
It went live on 6th june.