IPv6 uptake

Not too long ago I asked the question about what our plans were about IPv6. While the telecom guys didn't actually laugh at me, it was clear the question was considered a bit silly. After all, we are the proud owners of a full out class B (140.160.0.0/16) so IPv4 address exhaustion is not something we're likely to run into very soon. Certainly not by 2014 when we should be 'out' of IPv4 address space on the internet. Will IANA repossess our 'unused' spaces? Don't know, probably not.

That said us moving to IPv6 will require a few things, none of them internal processes:
  • A bill by the State Legislature mandating IPv6 uptake by all State agencies. We're not subject to the already existing Federal rule.
  • Enough of the general internet is routing IPv6 that the IPv4-over-IPv6 tunneling causes enough headaches we need to move due to user revolts.
  • Some new widget, be it server tech or some kind of net-attached device, only supports IPv6 and we need to get it running.
Of course, if the powers that be here decided that it must be done, and our telecom people fail to talk them out of it, it could still happen.