McFarland Shannon. IPv6 for Enterprise Networks

Cisco Press, 2011. - 400 p.Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is the next version of the protocol that is used for communication among devices of all types on the Internet. IPv6 has been in existence for many years, but recently the deployment of IPv6 has accelerated greatly in the enterprise. IPv6 has been under continuous development and is maturing as real-world deployments expose gaps in either the protocol or the deployment methodology of the protocol. Enterprises around the world are being exposed to IPv6 by either deploying operating systems and applications that automatically use IPv6 (at times without their knowledge), or they are proactively deploying IPv6 to fill requirements for the following: additional addressing, expansion into emerging markets, dealing with merger-and-acquisition challenges, and leveraging the new capabilities of the protocol for cutting-edge endpoints and applications. Whatever the reason, it is critical for the enterprise to fully understand the deployment options available with IPv6 and to take an aggressive but well-thought-out planning and design approach to their deployment.