IPv6 is Key to Business Growth and Opportunities

The Internet has transformed the world, growing over the past 30 years into a burgeoning network that connects some 840 million hosts and over 2 billion users all around the globe. However, IPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4) addresses have run out, and in order for the Internet to continue sustaining its growth, IPv6 is needed.

Preparing for the Next Generation

Singapore sees the importance of IPv6 and IDA is the government agency tasked with catalysing the local business community to leverage the potential of IPv6 and prepare for the next phase of Internet growth.

"With the explosive growth in mobile devices including wireless handheld devices, the increasing popularity of cloud computing and the emergence of the ‘Internet Of Things’, which connects everything like appliances and vehicles to the Internet, the need for IP addresses becomes even more prevalent," said Leong Keng Thai, Deputy Chief Executive/Director-General (Telecoms & Post), IDA. "Given that the Internet is now part and parcel of many businesses and the accelerating rate of globalisation, business growth will inevitably be impacted should there be a shortage of Internet addresses."

Urgency in Asia

While the exhaustion of IPv4 addresses is a global phenomenon, the need for IPv6 is even more urgent in Asia where economic growth is quickest.

"There are zero blocks of IPv4 addresses left in Asia, yet it has used the most IPv4 addresses over the past year," said Tony Hill, Chair of Asia Pacific IPv6 Task Force, which assists in IPv6 production-level deployment and promotion of economies in the Asia Pacific region. "With 60 percent of the world’s population and housing the majority of global growth, IPv6 is primarily Asia’s problem."

In addition, an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report in 2007 noted that the only sustainable solution that can deliver economic and social opportunities for the future of the Internet economy is IPv6.

Even in the short to medium term, it makes business sense for companies in Singapore and Asia to aggressively ensure IPv6 capability in their Internet strategies. "Since 2000, many of the major trading nations like Japan, Korea, China, Australia, US, Europe and India have embarked on IPv6 roadmaps," said Hill. "Many of their deadlines for readiness are set for next year!"

With recent economic turmoil in U.S. and Europe, banks and businesses are shifting their focus to tap into the growth of Internet economies powered by rising Asian economies. It thus becomes imperative that these companies themselves are ready to efficiently handle IPv6 traffic.

For more info: http://www.ida.gov.sg/Technology/20111215115733.aspx

Leading ISPs, websites commit to June 6 start for IPv6

Several of the world's largest ISPs and websites have committed to permanently enabling IPv6 -- the next-generation Internet Protocol -- on their products and services starting June 6, 2012.

AT&T, Comcast and Time Warner Cable were among seven global ISPs that have committed to this deadline, along with some of the world's most popular websites including Facebook, Google, Yahoo and Microsoft Bing.

BACKGROUND: IPv6 due for wide deployment in 2012

RELATED: Google, Facebook promise new IPv6 services after successful trial

All of these companies announced Tuesday that they are meeting this deadline as participants of an event dubbed World IPv6 Launch, which is being organized by the Internet Society.

"The fact that leading companies across several industries are making significant commitments to participate in World IPv6 Day Launch is yet another indication that IPv6 is no longer a lab experiment; it's here and is an important next step in the Internet's evolution," said Leslie Daigle, the Internet Society's chief information technology officer, in a statement.

The ISPs participating in World IPv6 Launch have agreed to enable IPv6 for enough users so that at least 1% of their wireline residential subscribers will use IPv6 to visit IPv6-enabled websites. Other participating ISPs include Japan's KDDI, France's Free Telecom, Australia's Internode and the Netherlands' XS4ALL.

IPv6 is a replacement for IPv4, the Internet's main communications protocol which is running out of address space. IPv6 is not backward-compatible with IPv4, so network and website operators must upgrade their hardware and software to support it. IPv6 features an expanded addressing scheme that can support billions of devices connected directly to the Internet.

"We've seen unprecedented growth in network traffic over the past several years, and IPv6 is critical to the continuation of that growth," said John Donovan, CTO of AT&T, in a statement released Tuesday. "We're excited to participate in World IPv6 Launch by enabling IPv6 services for new and existing residential customers in addition to the enterprise customers we support with IPv6 today."

MORE: Comcast expands IPv6 services into four more states

The participating websites such as Facebook and Google have agreed to permanently enable IPv6 on their main websites beginning June 6. Content delivery networks Akamai and Limelight also have agreed to enable IPv6 throughout their infrastructures by this deadline to enable their customers to support the new protocol in production mode.

"World IPv6 Launch marks a watershed moment in Internet history," commented Vint Cerf, chief Internet evangelist at Google. "Google strongly supports this upgrade. We're happy to see that everyone is moving to the 21st-Century Internet!"

Additionally, two home networking equipment manufacturers -- Cisco and D-Link -- have agreed to enable IPv6 by default through the range of their home router products by the June 6 deadline.

World IPv6 Launch is a follow-on event to the original World IPv6 Day, which was held on June 8, 2011. The highly successful 2011 event attracted 400-plus corporate, government and university participants that deployed IPv6 on more than 1,000 websites for the day.

Source: http://www.cio.com.au/article/412614/leading_isps_websites_commit_june_6_start_ipv6/

IPv6 Competency for Government Agencies in Singapore Seminar, 22 Feb 2012

Date: 22 Feb 2012 (Thurs)     Time: 1.30pm - 5.00pm
Venue: YMCA International House  One Orchard Road S(238824)

Tan Chin Tuan Room (Level 4) Event Overview

As of 15 April 2011, APNIC has reached the final /8 block of IPv4 adddresses which triggered a very strict delegation policy. This means that we will soon see IPv6 only hosts in Asia Pacific.

To address the depletion of IPv4 addresses, IPv6 was designed to replace IPv4. IPv6 has several technical advantages over IPv4, such as simplifying aspects of network renumbering and improvements in multicasting and routing speeds.

Although both IPv4 and IPv6 traffic can flow over the same physical medium, IPv4-only nodes are not able to communicate directly with IPv6 nodes and vice-versa. The new nodes that are assigned with IPv6 addresses will not be able to reach existing IPv4 resources without transition mechanisms. This will in turn impact the growth of Internet contents and services, the growth of Internet-dependent businesses and business continuity. For smooth transition, concerted actions from various stakeholders in the ecosystem are required.

In this half day seminar, we aim to provide the necessary information with regards to the IPv6 transition mechanisms and the latest updates on the IPv6 Competency Programme. This programme is supported by IDA to help ICT professionals with the funding support on the IPv6 Forum Certified Network Engineer Courses that allows the trainees to build capabilities, deepen their IPv6 technology migration skills and upgrade themselves in the dynamic, competitive and fast changing infocomm industry.

Who Should Attend:

IT professionals who are familiar with the basic concepts of TCP/IP such as IT Managers, Network Engineers, Network Administrators, Network Consultants & Decision Makers who need to acquire basic IPv6 knowledge and understand the opportunities that lies ahead with IPv6.

For more event information, click here. 

PRECISION TIME, FREQUENCY & SYNCHRONISATION SOLUTION - TimeTrace II

Time & Frequency Solutions (TFS), manufacturers of precision timing systems, have updated and re-launched their Timetrace GPS Common View Measurement System.  Not only has the unit received a facelift, but it also now sports a built-in computer with a well-designed touchscreen for configuration, monitoring and data log purposes.

The  19” 3U-high rack-mountable  unit is capable of tracking twelve GPS satellites (previously nine), offering high performance and reliability at an accessible cost. The unit processes data and produces files in accordance with BIPM directives, generating CGGTTS format files.

Timetrace II is an exceptionally accurate time and frequency comparison system which, when used in conjunction with a similar device in a National Standards Laboratory, brings the accuracy and traceability of your National Time standard into your laboratory.  Timetrace II enables calibration of clocks and frequency sources without resort to the use of travelling clocks.

Download Datasheet

IDA Steps Up Effort to Develop IPv6 Manpower Pool

31 August 2011 - The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) is leading a national effort to build up a pool of IPv6-trained manpower in Singapore, to ensure that the country's ICT industry is well-positioned to take advantage of new opportunities in the IPv6 world.

With the depletion of IPv4 addresses, the Internet community will be moving towards adopting IPv6 technologies. In view of this, IDA sees the need to develop a local pool of IPv6 competent workforce, to support IPv6 adoption.

IDA recently called for a tender to identify a training provider to deliver IPv6 knowledge and skills training to two key target groups - the current workforce of ICT professionals, and the future workforce which comprises students from institutes of higher learning (IHLs) such as the universities, polytechnics and Institutes of Technical Education.

For the current workforce which includes network planners, network administrators and other ICT professionals, the aim is to provide certified IPv6 training courses to ensure that they are equipped with the necessary IPv6 skills to handle IPv6 related tasks such as administration, IPv6 implementation and operational tasks. The courses will cover topics such as IPv6 packet generation and detection, network configuration, IPv6 routing protocols, and steps to migrate to IPv6. Each training programme will include theory, a hands-on component, and an examination.

In addition to this cohort, IDA is also targeting to train ICT professionals to become IPv6-certified trainers who will, in turn, be able to conduct IPv6 courses to train more ICT professionals with IPv6 skills and to develop their own courseware if required.

For the second target group - the students - IDA's main aim is to ensure that they are equipped with IPv6 knowledge prior to joining the IT workforce. This target group will be able to handle IPv6-related tasks and job requirements upon graduation. To deliver this, the training provider will have to develop an IPv6 training programme consisting of IPv6 course modules and an evaluation quiz to be offered to the IHLs.

"We would like to see the training provider establish strong collaborations with the various IHLs and to deliver IPv6 training using various mechanisms, for example, incorporating IPv6 modules into the existing school curriculum, conducting IPv6 workshops or organising industry-sharing sessions on IPv6 implementation experiences," said Mr Eddy Leong, Manager, IPv6 task force at IDA.

Students targeted will be drawn mainly from second and third-year polytechnic students, especially those pursuing diplomas in information technology or network systems, as well as university students doing relevant networking or ICT modules under Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Computer Engineering.

IDA targets to train a sizeable pool of ICT professionals and students over the next two years.

The IPv6 Competency Tender, which was closed in August, has been awarded to Progreso Networks.

Source: http://www.ida.gov.sg/Technology/20110831122738.aspx

Enjoy up to 70% funding support from IDA NOW!

IPv6 Certified Network Engineer Courses:

SILVER: 13-16 Dec (FULL), 9-12 Jan 2012, 13-16 Feb 2012, 6-9 March 2012

GOLD: 21-24 Feb 2012 

For course registration, email to ipv6@progreso.com.sg or call 65 6509 9600.

 

IDA Event: Unleashing the Potential of IPv6 for Business Continuity and Growth

IDA has invited PROGRESO Networks to join as an exhibitor in the Executive Briefing - Unleashing the Potential of IPv6 for Business Continuity and Growth on 17 Nov 2011 at Fort Canning Hotel.

(http://www.ida.gov.sg/Technology/20111103120146.aspx)

The aim is to update the management, IT Managers and technologists of Singapore companies on the current status of IPv6 and how to move to IPv6 for business continuity and create new business opportunities.

PROGRESO had received a warm response from the crowd on the IPv6 Forum Certified Network Engineer Courses (Silver & Gold). Many of them have signed up with us on the IPv6 Forum Certified Network Engineer Course (Silver) which will be benefited from the 70% funding support from IDA.

Next Course Schedule for Certified Network Engineer (Silver)

• 13 - 16 December 2011
• 9 - 12 January 2012
• 13 - 16 February 2012
• 6 - 9 March 2012

To sign up, email to ipv6@progreso.com.sg.

Computerworld Singapore: IPv6 certification course available in Singapore

Organisations in Singapore still hesitant to transition to IPv6 might find help in a certification course for network engineers.

Progreso Networks is offering IPv6 Forum Certified Network Engineer Courses which were announced by the president of the IPv6 Forum, Dr. Latif Ladid.
Progreso Networks, which is an IPv6 Forum-authorised training centre, said its courses can help companies which are still grappling with the issues surrounding the transition to IPv6.

Several industry studies have shown that organisations worldwide are still hesitant to transition to IPv6, which promises more Internet addresses compared to the current IPv4. Among the issues raised are security, lack of funds and a lack of basic understanding of what the transition means.

IPv6 awareness

Several organisations, including the IPv6 Forum, are advocating the transition to IPv6 through industry awareness.

The IPv6 Forum is a not-for-profit organisation composed of leading Internet vendors, industry subject matter experts, and research & education networks. Recently, it launched a certification recognition programme where training institutions it has certified will be identified by a logo. IPv6 Forum offers two levels of certification - Silver, for beginner and intermediate skills and topics; and Gold, for all skills levels and advanced topics on IPv6.

PROGRESO said it is the only authorised training centre in Singapore for the complete Silver, Gold and Trainer Gold IPv6 Forum certified courses. The Progreso courses will train IT managers and engineers to maintain interoperability and facilitate a smooth transition of the IP protocols across their networks.

The company said "IPv6 implementation requires a new set of network configurations and capabilities."

"It is quite clear that Asia is leading in IPv6 adoption in the world. There is a real demand for IPv6-trained engineers and end-users to ensure a seamless growth of the Internet based on IPv6," said Ladid, who is also senior researcher at University of Luxembourg, Security and Trust (SnT) Center and emeritus trustee, Internet Society (ISOC).

Singapore chapter

At the announcement of the new courses last month, Ladid also announced the appointment of Victor Tang, managing director of PROGRESO as chairman for the Singapore chapter of the IPv6 Forum.

"The 'certified certification' initiative from IPv6 Forum Education Logo programme will further promote IPv6 adoption by providing an opportunity for networking vendors to enable their certification programmes 'IPv6 Ready' and officially recognised. This next level of IPv6 Education Logo Program is designed to certify vendors' certification programmes uniformly across the industry," said Tang. "We are already partnering with USM (Universiti Sains Malaysia) - The National Advanced IPv6 Centre (NAV6) to offer three levels of certification to IT managers, engineers and end-users."

The Progreso courses will cover topics such as IPv6 addressing, ICMPv6, IPv6 Neighbour Discovery, Transition Approaches and Mechanisms, Mobile IPv6, Security, QoS, etc. -- topics that will help attendees to build, migrate and manage the IPv6 network with ease.

Source: http://www.computerworld.com.sg/mgmt/careers/ipv6-certification-course-available-in-singapore/