Forum Discussion
Some major isp's overseas have started playing with native ipv6, which does indicate VM are perhaps been a bit too slack on it, but on the main point I agree with ignition that its only very few people crrently putting time into ipv6. I have ipv6 ranges on some of my servers but they are not used for any type of production use only for testing at current.
Well "interest" is a chicken and egg thing. There is no interest from non-tech users when they can't get to IPv6 sites natively and transparently, and there is no interest from providers when they see no significant users with IPv6 access. In the absence of other factors, this would be a deadly embrace around IPv4.
But there is another factor, and it cannot be ignored: we're (almost) out of IPv4 addresses.
While some providers will attempt to put bandaid over bandaid to try to keep IPv4 alive beyond its sell-by date, this will be costlier and costlier as the solutions get ever more contrived, and it's ultimately pointless because the money could just as easily be put into dual-stack IPv6 to allow graceful evolution without horrible hacks.
Some smaller ISPs in the UK already provide native IPv6, but no top tier ISP here has done so yet. It would be good for VM to be a leader in this, and I think it's up to us to get the message through.
Morgaine.
- scarlet0pimp14 years agoDialled in
You guys are crazy if you think that Virgin dont have any plans for IPv6, they are an ISP and will die if they dont support it. Maybe they just dont want to communicate it with the customers since the vast majority of their customers wont give a rats ass about it.
IPv4 will be around for a few more years yet, we still have loads of address which can be reused.
- Morgaine14 years agoSuperfast
The majority of customers have no idea what IPv6 is because they're not technical, so nobody can expect them to voice any interest, neither we nor VirginMedia. For that matter, those customers don't know what IPv4 is either. This is all just "the Internet" for them, or worse, they think it's all the Web. :-)
But we know what IPv6 is, and VM's techies know, and I expect that the company probably *does* want to communicate with customers when it's feasible. After all, a company that doesn't listen to its customers is likely to be heading for trouble in due course.
In any event, there is no harm in asking Support to put us in contact with whoever might want to hear us on this issue. The worse that can happen is that Support refuses because they're not allowed to give us contact details.
What I fear more though is that they'll say "We'll pass it on up", but the message goes absolutely nowhere because of "Constipated Large Company Syndrome", which I've come across all too often as a contractor. (Workforce partitioned into functionally specialized divisions that don't interact except through their division heads, and those heads never rock the boat by pushing the envelope because it limits their promotion prospects.)
Anyway, we can but hope.
But you're right, VM either heads to IPv6 *fast* or its business will be gasping for air before long. IPv4 addresses have run out, and you can't continue to expand an ISP business without address space.
Morgaine.
- pureedfruit14 years agoTuning in
Clearly VM have it all in hand
"
Matt McCloskey, Head of Applications & Services at VM Business, said:
"Since its invention we've seen the internet grow and evolve to the point where it's becoming increasingly clear that we're going to need more IP addresses to sustain its growth. We now live in a connected society where almost every person has an IP enabled device on them at all times. The internet is maturing and the protocols need to change to enable this. However, there's no need to panic; we've been expecting this for a long-time and the necessary precautions have been taken to ensure a smooth switchover.
Here at Virgin Media Business preparations have been ongoing for a long time. As well as our core and access networks being capable of supporting IPv6, we're rigorously testing our entire network to ensure that all customers have a smooth and simple transition when the time comes to flick the switch and turn IPv6 on. We're really pleased with how our tests are advancing and are happy to say that by the end of 2012, we'll be able to fully support customers looking to switch to IPv6."You would think they would have posted McCloskey's comments here as a "stcky".
Anyway it would appear that we can all relax and leave it to VM :-)
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