Deploying IPv6

Version 4 of the Internet Protocol (IPv4) has been in wide use for the past 25 years, but it has outlasted its effective lifetime and is straining to keep up with the demands of today's Internet. IPv6 is a natural evolution from IPv4 and attempts to address many of the older protocol's shortcomings. IPv6 is designed to keep up with the rapid growth of the Internet. The core specifications have been standardized through the IETF's IPng working group, and the NGtrans working group is studying issues surrounding the challenging task of smoothly transitioning from IPv4 to IPv6. The paper discusses the benefits of IPv6 and obstacles to its deployment.