TELLURIDE, COLO. - Microsoft on Monday will release a Windows 2000 add-on for software developers that supports IPv6, the long-anticipated upgrade to the Internet's fundamental communications protocol.
Called the IPv6 Technology Preview, Microsoft's latest IPv6 stack was announced at the IPv6 Global Summit held here this week - the first time Microsoft has formally detailed its IPv6 product plans. Until now, Microsoft offered only a prototype IPv6 stack developed by its research group.
"This is the second step in Microsoft's rollout of IPv6," says Richard Draves, a senior researcher at Microsoft. Draves says IPv6 will be included in the next major release of Windows 2000, followed by full IPv6 support across all Microsoft products. "We are taking our prototype [version] and turning it into product," Draves added.
Developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force, IPv6 promises easier administration, tighter security and an enhanced addressing scheme over IPv4, the Internet's current communications protocol. IPv6, which uses a 128-bit addressing scheme, supports a virtually limitless number of uniquely identified systems on the `Net, while IPv4 supports only a few billion systems because it uses a 32-bit addressing scheme.
Microsoft's IPv6 Technology Preview is a step forward for the IPv6 movement, which has long been hampered by a lack of compliant products and little customer demand for the new technology. Having IPv6 built into operating systems and network applications is key to minimizing the time and cost for corporate network managers to integrate IPv6 into their networks.
Microsoft's IPv6 Technology Preview will feature support for 6to4, a technique being developed by the IETF that allows IPv6 sites to communicate with each other over an IPv4 backbone. Microsoft's IPv6 network stack will support 6to4 relays and gateways, and will provide automated configuration for 6to4.
Draves also said that within a month or two, Microsoft will release an IPv6-compatible version of Internet Explorer that is expected to be the first Web browser to support IPv6.
In the future, Microsoft plans to add privacy enhancements to its IPv6 offering that will address concerns related to auto-configured addresses.
"We think privacy is a potential selling strategy for IPv6," Draves said. "IPv6 will offer better privacy than IPv4."
Microsoft's IPv6 Technology Preview can be downloaded at http://www.msdn.microsoft.com. It includes an IPv6 network stack, headers and libraries that software developers can use to create IPv6-compatible applications.
RELATED LINKS
The IP v6 Information Page
IPV6.org
Internet Protocol version 6
A brief technical description of IPv6; routing and addressing, address autoconfiguration, neighbor discovery, and IPv4 to IPv6 transitioning.
Cisco.
Microsoft Research (MSR) is writing an Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) implementation
Microsoft Research.
Microsoft starting to build around Windows 2000
Network World, 02/28/00.
