Internet Protocol version 6
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Today's World IPv6 Day: Google, Bing, Facebook and others test out new addresses for 24 hours
Described as a "test flight" of IPv6, today marks the biggest concerted effort by some of the web's marquee players to turn us all on to the newer, fancier web addressing system. Internet Protocol version 4 has been the template by which we've addressed everything connected to the web so far, but that stuff's now nearing exhaustion, so the future demands a longer, more complex nomenclature to tell our smartphones, tablets, printers, and other webOS devices apart. For end users, June 8th won't really feel too different from June 7th -- this will be a change that occurs mostly behind the scenes and there's an IPv4 fallback option if you can't connect in the modern way -- but Google does warn that a very limited subset of users may experience connectivity issues as a result. Hit the links below to see how well prepared for the future you are.
China building IPv6 infrastructure
China is looking to take the lead in the adoption of Internet Protocol Version 6, and steal a little thunder from the Internet2 consortium in the process. The China Education and Research Network has already connected nearly 200 universities and institutes using the new protocol, while China Telecom and China Mobile are expected to begin trial runs with IPv6 by the end of the year. This initiative is intended to reduce China's dependence on foreign hardware suppliers such as US-based Cisco Systems, and also help Chinese IT manufacturers become more competitive globally. Naturally, the gaming industry will also benefit from the advancements of IPv6, particularly in the mobile space where gamers on the go will have unique static IP addresses, in addition to improved data, voice, and video transmissions. Visit the IPv6 portal to learn more.See also: China, Intel, and the WiMAX agenda
CableLabs drafts DOCSIS 3.0 specs
Cable industry consortium CableLabs has announced that they've drafted version 3.0 of their Data-Over-Cable Service Interface Specifications, otherwise known to those in the know as DOCSIS. The news sure to grab the most attention out of the specs is that they'll let cable operators offer speeds as high as 160Mbps downstream and 120Mbps upstream, which would open up more possibilities for HD channels and Video on Demand. The specs also incorporate Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6), further opening the door for cable providers to offer more IP-based services. As our peeps at HD Beat point out, however, the hardware changes required to meet the specs are pretty significant, making it unlikely that we'll see a complete roll-out before 2008 at the earliest.[Via HD Beat]
