Microsoft Advocates
Path for IPv6 Evolution

Never let it be said that Bill Gates is behind the times when it comes to IPv6. After lots of talk, but little action, Microsoft is finally stepping up to the plate and pushing the industry to make the new protocol the standard for the future.

by Jim Thompson [June 6, 2002]

The latest indication of a major push for IPv6 came at the recent WinHEC conference in Seattle, Washington. In a speech during the gathering, Mike Shappell, a product unit manager in Microsoft's Windows networking group called on developers to work with network administrators to help "get IPv6 deployed," and to build native support for IPv6 into every application or piece of hardware you build."

One reason behind this call to action is the belief by Microsoft Corp. that the number of DNS registered addresses will hit a "practical maximum" by next year and will be totally exhausted by 2009.

One for all, all for one
The executive leadership at Microsoft view IPv6 as a vital building block in creating their vision of a worldwide, peer-to-peer networking system where individual devices can connect to any other device without the need for a centralized server directing the traffic.

Like many in the IT world, Microsoft visionaries foresee a day when the PC becomes the heart of an all-purpose communications system. This PC, which may be as large as a laptop or as small as a cell phone, would allow voice communication, the delivery of video or text content, as well as any possible combination of these media. This same device could also communicate with other types of devices including computers in automobiles, home stereos, and even refrigerators.

In order to create this brave new world of interconnectivity, every device would need its own, unique IP address. Without this address, connecting to the device and staying connected while moving is difficult and, in some cases, impossible. As Microsoft sees it, existing applications and networking protocols don't work with changing IP addresses.

Of course, this means that many more IP addresses than are presently available under IPv4 standard will be necessary, and these additional addresses will be needed in a hurry. IPv6 expands addresses from 32-bit under IPv4 to 128-bit. The result is that the number of available IP addresses would leap from the current 4.2 billion to 340 trillion trillion trillion—the equivalence of 67 billion addresses per square centimeter of the earth.

Decentralized communication
The Microsoft brain trust is advocating a technology known as the Peer-to-Peer Name Resolution Protocol—or PNRP in its short form. The purpose of the protocol is similar to that of standard DNS with one notable exception—instead of using a central server to keep track of addresses, under PNRP the address information is spread across an array of peers with optional central servers thrown into the mix as needed.

According to Shappell, PNRP allows peers to publish information directly to the Internet at large as well as to more limited, private groups. He also claims that it works on a network with millions of nodes. It is not, however, perfect. One of the main criticism, is that PNRP requires intermediaries, that are often awkward and difficult to manage, to function on IPv4 networks.

Microsoft's .NET technology is another attempt to shift communications toward peer-to-peer functions. According the a Microsoft white paper, "the fundamental idea behind Microsoft .NET is that the focus is shifting from individual Web sites or devices connected to the Internet to constellations of computers, devices, and services that work together to deliver broader, richer solutions.

"To make information available any time, any place and on any device, requires the constellations of devices to have a consistent view of each other, which will be possible using the globally unique addresses available with IPv6. With this capability, every application on any device can be exposed as a service on the Internet."

The one fly in the ointment of Microsoft's peer-to-peer plans is that the software giant risks a battle with longtime rival Sun Microsystems, which is promoting the development of its Jxta technology an open source peer-to-peer workaround.

Currently, IPv6 is an optional component that can be installed in Windows XP. Instructions for installation under XP can be found by typing "IPv6" into the Help section. Also included is a developer-release of the IPv6 protocol suite targeted toward application developers.

Including the new protocol in Windows XP is a major step in the right direction for IPv6 uptake, but, even Microsoft recognizes it's only the beginning. It could be years before higher-level applications support the protocol—and even longer before IPv6 is wholly adopted across the Internet.

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