IPv6
So. Crunch time is almost here. Everyone's been dragging their heels, and now we're running short of IPv4 addresses. Of course, with reclaiming them from people who aren't using their allocation, and things like that, it probably won't be an issue for a while longer yet.
But (as I've been saying for 10 years now) - why not embrace the future, have a go with it, learn it. Who knows, you might even like it.
When you're IPv6 enabled, you shouldn't even notice when your computer uses it to access resources. It will try IPv6 first, and if it can't, it'll go back to IPv4.
So - how do you get on the bandwagon
If you run Linux, you can try it out pretty much super-simply, and for free. It doesn't matter if you're behind NAT, or your router doesn't support IPv6. This is the ultra-easy way to do it.
- Go to http://www.sixxs.net/signup/create/ and get an account. It should look something like this: SIXXS-1234XX.
- Install AICCU.
Make sure you put decent info in the fields, and make sure that your email server won't reject the emails. They get quite upset about bounced emails.
There is a check-box to hide your information in whois.
If you make any mistakes, you will have to email them, and ask them to sort it out - this can take a few days or weeks, so make sure you get it right the first time.
On Debian and Ubuntu, AICCU prompts you for your username and password (super easy). On Fedora, you need to edit /etc/aiccu.conf and fill in the username and password fields. Restart AICCU.
Now you should be on IPv6.
Try the following sites to see if you are:
You can also try: ping6 ipv6.google.com
Remember - your IPv4 firewall won't protect you if you have an IPv6 address. You need to configure ip6tables in the same way you configured iptables.
Let me know how you get on - leave me a comment from your IPv6 address :)