Why Credit Unions Need to Understand IPv6

by: Pierluigi Stella, CTO of Network Box USA, Inc.

The standardization group IANA (or the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority), which collaborates with IETF (also known as the Internet Engineering Task Force), had long ago already prepared the new standard, IPv6 which goes from the 32 bits of IPv4 to 128 bits.  If you want to know how many addresses that is, don’t try using your calculator; it may go up in smoke!  Why, you ask?  Well, that number is 2 to the power of 128 OR 3.4 x 10 to the power of 38 OR, get this, 340 undecillions (or sextillions).  To understand its magnitude, let’s just say there aren’t enough stars in the universe to total that number!

Consequently, we hope, there’ll be enough IP addresses to go around for the next few decades; every device will have its own IP address, and we won’t run the risk of depleting the IP address bank any time soon – certainly not within my lifetime.  We’ll also no longer have need of private IP addresses; a point which certain pundits believe is a positive thing.  I could write a whole new blog post on this subject but for now, suffice to say I disagree.  I don’t think you should have a different mailing address for every room in your house – that, in my view, is information regurgitation, which, in a world like the Internet, can be potentially so incredibly dangerous for your computers.

This year, the IPv4 address space has been officially declared exhausted – there aren’t any more IPv4 IP addresses to be assigned from IANA to the 5 regional internet registries (RIR).  As a customer, you may be able to get an IPv4 for some time, for as long as your ISPs still have them, that is.   Think of them like phone numbers in that you may get a recycled one; an IP previously belonging to another company that no longer needs/wants it.  So hold off on pressing the panic button for now because IPv4 IPs will still be around for a little longer but be prepared to face reality, because soon enough, they’ll be gone for good and IPv6 will be the order of the day.

Those of us who already have IPv4 IPs will be able to keep and continue using them.   In the interim, though, ISPs will begin to assign also IPv6 IP addresses and slowly but surely start migrating everyone to this new address space.  This will happen simply because they can’t afford to maintain the double standard for too long – it’s expensive; requires double equipments; and creates too many complications (for which we’ll eventually end up paying and in real dollars).  Truth be told, I don’t know how long this process will take; for all we know, it might spread across decades.  We just know, with utter certainty that it will happen.  We also know for a fact that your equipment must be able to deal with both protocols concurrently but here’s the kicker – they are completely incompatible.
If your equipment is not designed to handle IPv6, it simply won’t understand it, period!

How will this affect your credit union, you ask?

Well, consider this – many large websites already have two sets of IPs – IPv4 AND IPv6, and the number is growing every day.   Soon enough, new websites will only have IPv6 IPs; your company will have to deal with this protocol, you can’t ignore it.

No, you do not need to change your internal IP scheme; some people say private IPv4 addresses will remain for at least 10 years; I say they’re true optimists.

In my opinion IPv4 will never really go away for private networks.  My network is working just fine; why would I bother changing every IP on every PC until I have a truly compelling reason to do so?  But, for the public side, you really cannot and should not ignore it.  You will need a device at your gateway that is able to translate between the two protocols seamlessly or in some other way allow you to work with both protocols.  Just don’t take the attitude of “it’s not going to affect me” because it will, and sooner than you think.

Have a plan of some sort ready, so you’re not caught unprepared when you run into that first website which is using ONLY IPv6 and your CEO must get to it “now”.

Pierluigi Stella worked for 15 years at IBM, accumulating international experience primarily in the oil and manufacturing sectors.  With a sterling track record of successfully accomplished projects, an extensive technical know-how, and nine years as head of both the technical as well as customer service divisions of Network Box USA, Pierluigi has been helping financial institutions and health care providers develop their security policies, and has accumulated extensive experience and knowledge of security issues. He is one of the founders of Network Box USA.  www.networkboxusa.com