IPv6 enabled

Wednesday marks World IPv6 Launch Day, when many major websites such as Facebook, Google and Microsoft turn on IPv6 on their homepages. On 6th June 2011, we saw a 24-hour trial of IPv6 on the main website addresses of these sites to test for any problems, but this year IPv6 will stay enabled for good. IPv6 is an Internet Protocol which succeeds IPv4 which currently powers much of the Internet. These protocols are critical as they relate to addressing devices connected to the Internet. We are fast running out of IPv4 addresses, so to get new users and devices online, more addresses are required, and IPv6 deals with this problem. Of course, many of the more technical users may already be using IPv6 and many websites (thinkbroadband included) have been operating IPv6 on the main website for quite some time. However this event marks a mainstream change as some of the largest websites on the Internet turn on IPv6 for good.

So for the sites that have IPv6 enabled, can you still access them through IPv4? Are there any ISP's in the country that have enabled it. Dont think mine have (adsl24)

So for the sites that have IPv6 enabled, can you still access them through IPv4? Are there any ISP's in the country that have enabled it. Dont think mine have (adsl24)

You can still access sites via IPv4. AA (my ISP) support native IPv6, and have done for the past 10 years. There are only a handful of ISPs in the country that support the new protocol. You can join the IPv6 network using a tunnel broker, such as Hurricane Electric: http://tunnelbroker.net/ - this tunnels IPv6 traffic over IPv4 for connections which are not yet native IPv6.

In reply to a post by bobble_bob:

So for the sites that have IPv6 enabled, can you still access them through IPv4?

Yes. IPv6 is designed to coexist with IPv4 all the way down the line. I think that a site admin could choose to disable IPv4 if they wanted but it'd be pretty stupid right now. They'd be disconnecting themselves from 99% of web users.

IPv6 has a number of advantages over IPv4 but there's no requirement to shut down IPv4. It's not like the analogue/digital TV switch over where the old system was interfering with the new one or where switching off one system frees a resource up for something better. IPv4 will continue to operate and likely be supported for many decades alongside IPv6.

If not then most people in the UK will be stuck. It will be a while yet before there be sites that people won't be able to access with IPv4.