Slowly but surely, IPv6 is making its way into more equipment. The latest news is that switch maker Foundry Networks is integrating IP Infusion's support for IPv6 into its line of multilayer switches.
IP Infusion makes the ZebOS Advanced Routing Suite, which is software that provides IP routing and support for Multi-protocol Label Switching. It supports both version 4 and version 6 of IP.
Clearly, Foundry wanted to get the IPv6 support quickly, and so it went the OEM route rather than developing the technology in-house.
The support isn't needed so much domestically as it is in some other countries. Foundry says it is working with the Widely Integrated Distributed Environments Project in Japan, and IPv6 is a key component in that project.
As proponents have been saying for years, IPv6 is important for handling the needs of growing networks. It can handle more addresses, has a simpler header format, and has greater security built in than IPv4.
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Network World, 10/29/01
