The Internet was tested

The Internet is running out of IP addresses. Engineers at network operators, equipment manufacturers, and test labs such as the UNH-IOL have been implementing IPv6 in equipment and operating systems for years, but much of the Internet’s traffic still uses IPv4. On Wednesday, June 8, 2011, major Internet players conducted a test to find out how many Internet connections might break if IPv6 were fully implemented today. I spoke with Tim Winters, IPv6 Consortium manager at the UNH-IOL (University of New Hampshire InterOperability laboratory), about the test.

T&MW: What was World Day all about?
Winters: The reason for IPv6 World Day was to get more exposure to IPv6. The Internet is currently set up so that most operating systems, when given the choice of using IPv4 or IPv6, network equipment, browsers, and Web sites will default to IPv6.

T&MW: What do you mean by “most operating systems?” Do you include, for example, Windows XP?
Winters: Operating systems later than Windows XP will default to IPv6. I think that Windows XP started defaulting to IPv6 with Service Pack 2. Most people have SP2 or higher. In the last five years, most default to IPv6. (Editor’s note: You must install IPv6 must be Windows XP SP2 or SP3.)

Some large web-site operators haven’t turned turn on IPv6 for fear of losing some users. If you go to an IPv6 website and you don’t have IPv6, your browser will hang and you’ll get a blank screen. If the site can’t connect, it will roll over to the IPv4 address. That could take 40 sec. The purpose of IPv6 World Test Day was to see how many connections would break. We really don’t have statistics because large sites like Google and Facebook are still using IPv4. If you want to use IPv6, you have to go to a special Google or Facebook site. IPv6 World Day was a way for us to get statistics on how much native IPv6 traffic there is and where problems might be.

T&MW: On June 8, did you have to be IPv6 compatible to use sites hosted by the test partipants?
Winters: No. They advertised both on June 8. On June 8, if you connected to google.com, you were connected using IPv6. On other days, you had to go to a special IPv6 location. Otherwise, you were using IPv4. There are a set of users who need IPv4. They would find their connections broken on test day. We’re trying to get statistics on how many people can use IPv6. Today, we don’t have great data. Editor’s note: Google.com uses IPv6. For IPv4 only, use ipv4.google.com.

T&MW: Do you have meaningful numbers?
Winters: We do have some numbers. The IPv6 traffic doubled. Still, 99.4% of traffic was IPv4.

T&MW: Why?
Winters: That’s what’s predominantly deployed. Most are IPv4 connections. Most content wasn’t accessible through IPv6, except for yesterday. Editor’s note: Google.com uses IPv6. For IPv4 only, use ipv4.google.com.

On June 8, many Web sites turned on IPv6 and ISPs turned on to provide data. They want to see what IPv6 traffic they saw.

T&MW: What is UNH-IOL’s role in IPv6?
Winters: IOL has been working on IPv6 since 1998. We recently ran a plugfest for home routers. A lot of broken links come from home routers, who tell users they have IPv6 support but don’t. We created a test program around these routers. Tests ran in February and May 2011. At the end, we posted companies that participated and which passed. It tells people which to buy without problems.

IPv6 roll-outs on products such as routers tend to happen when other upgrades are made. The Cable industry rolled out IPv6 with DOCSIS 3.0. IPv6 is also rolled into speed upgrades. Sometimes ISPs have new management software and they want to support IPv6 at that time.

T&MW: How do you know if your equipment supports IPv6?
Winters: Go to ipv6-test.com. It can test your IPv6 connections.

T&MW: What’s the next step?
Winters: Participants will look at data and assess errors. The bonus from June 8 means that the Internet didn’t melt down. Very few issues. It didn’t show up in the news. Problems may occur when web sites convert to IPv6 only. Something will have to give.

T&MW: How do you know if your home or business equipment is IPv6 compatible?
Winters: Manufacturers can follow the The IPv6 ready program through the IPv6 Forum. They can go to a test lab and submit their product for testing. It it passes, a manufacturer can affix a logo, but many don’t. www.ipv6ready.org/db/index.php/public/ Lists products that have passed IPv6 Phase II. Most manufacturers don’t put the logos on their equipment.