World IPv6 Day Testing the Interneta[euro](tm)s readiness.

M2 PRESSWIRE-June 8, 2011-: World IPv6 Day Testing the Interneta[euro](tm)s readiness(C)1994-2011 M2 COMMUNICATIONS

RDATE:08062011

On 8th June 2011, many websites around the world, including Google and Facebook will be 'turning on' IPv6-support for 24 hours as a test to identify any problems in IPv6 rollout.

Every computer connected to the Internet has an 'IP address' which is used to route traffic across the network. It is the Internet equivalent of a phone number. At present, most of the Internet runs on Internet Protocol Version 4 (or IPv4 for short) however we are approaching the limit of the 4.3 billion available addresses as more of the world's population comes online.

The new IP version 6 (IPv6) protocol[1] has been around for well over a decade but there has been no real incentive for widescale deployment whilst there has been a plentiful supply of IPv4 addresses. Only in the last year has the topic of IPv6 adoption been in the headlines and we are now seeing some rapid deployment by many of the larger networks as well as consumer equipment manufacturers.

On 8th June 2011, dubbed "World IPv6 Day" at (no time specified) UTC (01:00 BST), some of the world's largest websites such as Google and Facebook, will be enabling IPv6 across their servers, for a 24-hour 'test run' to identify the scale of any problems. They will be joined by companies such as Cisco Systems and other network equipment vendors to identify any remaining issues which need to be addressed. Many such organisations have run limited IPv6 trials or rollouts for some time, but this global test is seen as both as an opportunity to spread the message of the importance of IPv6 rollout, and to identify any final hurdles.

A very small number of users (around 0.05%) may be using combinations of systems which may experience problems with the dual-stack configuration (IPv4 and IPv6 running simultaneously) and this testing is partly necessary to confirm the current extent of this problem.

The move to IPv6 is the Internet equivalent of inserting additional digits into phone numbers, to cope with an increasing demand for telephone lines.

"The vast majority of Internet users will not see anything different on 8th June," explains Sebastien Lahtinen, co-founder of thinkbroadband.com. "Most of the time we type in addresses like www.facebook.com into a web browser, and our computer and the Domain Name System (DNS) takes care of converting this into an IP address, so we don't have to remember IP addresses[2] themselves" he adds.

Many websites including thinkbroadband.com are already available over IPv6 for visitors who have IPv6 enabled broadband connections.

Useful tools:

You can use the IPv6 test tool to check if your broadband connection supports IPv6 and compare IPv6 and IPv4 speeds: IPv6 Test www.thinkbroadband.com/ipv6

IPv6 Speed Test www.ipv6-speedtest.net World IPv6 Day www.worldipv6day.org

thinkbroadband www.thinkbroadband.com

[1] IPv6 address space is 340,282,366,920,938,000,000,000,000,000 billion addresses (or 2128). With IPv6, the Internet could double in size every year, and we would still have enough addresses for the next 96 years.

2 Facebook's IP addresses: '66.220.158.18' (IPv4) or '2620:0:1cfe:face:b00c::3' (IPv6

Notes to editors:

About thinkbroadband.com:

Thinkbroadband.com is the UK's leading independent broadband information site which has helped users with broadband problems for over 10 years.

It started in the days when broadband services were bring trialled and its staff thus have some of the most comprehensive experience in this area.

Consumers can refer to this impartial website for independent advice and details on the services offered by Broadband Service Providers, enabling them to make an informed decision as to who to use as a supplier as well as troubleshoot problems they may be having.

* Comprehensive range of 'plain English' consumer guides and advice

* Access to bespoke interactive tools including a broadband speed tester

* Broadband hardware reviews

* Member forum with a community of like-minded people where you can share your thoughts and broadband queries

* Variety of ways to rank products according to individual priorities

* Detailed product information, availability checker and ISP search

* Up-to-date news on broadband industry developments

* Independent experts available to assist media with queries or interviews

* Focus on providing information and resolving issues rather than encouraging 'switching providers' )

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