Macs lead switch to IPv6

Posted on 13 Nov 2008 at 13:20

Mac users are leading the adoption of IPv6, the next-generation internet protocol, though most will know nothing about it.

Google recently carried out a survey of connections to its website, to see which were capable of IPv6. Not only did it discover that the proportion of internet connected devices is much higher than previously estimated, it also found that in the US, where IPv6 usage is highest, 52% of all users have a Mac.

The reason is twofold. OS X has IPv6 enabled by default in the Network preferences many Mac users are connected to the internet via an Apple AirPort base station, which also has IPv6 enabled, employing 6to4 tunnelling technology to convert IPv6 packets from the Mac to IPv4 packets than can be transmitted over the internet.

Windows Vista also has IPv6 enabled by default, but since fewer Vista machines are connected to a 6to4-capable router, it is not yet having the same effect on IPv6 proliferation as OS X.

The findings suggest that as more IPv6 routers and cable modems are employed, IPv6 usage will rise, a key step in the transition of the internet from IPv4 to the new protocol.

And that has to happen soon. Under IPv4 all available internet addresses are expected to have been used up some time in 2010. Because IPv6 supports much longer addresses, it has capacity enough to provide a unique address for each person on planet, with many billions to spare.

Author: Simon Aughton

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