Transitioning to IPv6

This tech and meet session was presented by Nico Declerck at HoWest. The session was about the switch to IPv6 and how it is becoming a necessity to make the transition. Besides being an advocate for IPv6 Nico Declerck also is a lecturer at HoWest, has experience as network admin and linux sysadmin but he is also a researcher into cluster IT and a cisco networking instructor.

The session was divided into three parts “Introduction: Why IPv6?” “Transitioning to IPv6-only” “Dual Stack in Practice”

The introduction gave us an insight into how IPv6 differs from IPv4 ranging from the way the addresses are formed into benefits given by employing IPv6. Some of the mentioned benefits include: eliminating the need for NAT, future proofing the infrastructure and better performance.

The second part gave us a more theoretical insight into how companies can transition to IPv6 since many ISPs are already able to support the change.

The final part of the session gave us some more information about dual stack, meaning the use of IPv4 and IPv6 internally. This is usually performed by using private IPv4 ranges internally and employing IPv4 and IPv6 addresses on the outside.

The ultimate goal of companies should be to eventually not employ dual stack but go into full IPv6 deployment, however the current state of the world infrastructure is not ready for this implementation so dual stack is the best option for companies to employ.

The session also included fun facts about Bruges beers and their history, making the session not only informative but also lighter to keep interest high.

This session has taught me more about the need to switch to IPv6 not only as a company but there are also many benefits for a private user such as better connectivity while playing games, sharing files or when on video calls.

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