24-hour next-generation Internet test launched

According to foreign media reports, the 24-hour next-generation Internet test--the Global IPV6 Day Test--will begin tomorrow, with internet giants such as Google and Facebook taking part in the big test campaign, A small number of Internet users may not be able to access their favorite sites by then.

The reason for this large-scale experiment is that the Internet Protocol, the basic rules for transmitting data from the Internet, will be updated from IPv4 to IPv6. The reason for updating to IPv6 is that the limited IP address that IPV4 provides is rapidly decreasing. The number of IPV4 addresses is only 9 4.3x10, while the IPV6 address has 3.4x10 38. "It's like a phone number that needs to be upgraded to a number of digits." Vint Cerf, an internet pioneer, explained.

The new system not only meets the needs of fast-growing economies, but also promotes the development of Internet technology in the future. The problem is that IPV4 and IPV6 communication technologies are incompatible, for example, the IPV6 Web site cannot be accessed by a home PC computer connected to the Internet via IPV4. As a result, network operators need to be technically prepared to ensure that Internet users can access a variety of Web sites and other services, either through IPV4 or through IPV6.

"Ten to one, you don't feel the impact of this test. Google said to internet users, "the vast majority (99.95%) of people are able to access their favorite sites without interruption: they either successfully access the Internet through the IPV6 protocol or access the Internet via the IPV4 protocol." ”

But Google also warns that a small number of Internet users may experience problems tomorrow. "The arrival of any new technology will be accompanied by a certain amount of pain." We expect that about 0.05% of the system may not be able to access the Internet through the IPV6 protocol, or revert to the past, through the IPV4 network. As a result, on a global IPv6 day, a handful of internet users may find Google, Facebook, Yahoo, Bing and other web sites that have been tested to be very slow or unresponsive. ”

Google will let its main sites, including Google.com and Google.com, support IPV6, allowing them to access both through IPV6 and IPV4. In addition, Google will also provide a special page for Internet users to test whether they will encounter problems.

The main purpose of the Global IPv6 Day Test is to find out the biggest problems that the Internet currently has. By the end of this year, the IPV4 address may be depleted, so the time is now becoming very urgent. Most network operators still have a lot of work to do before IPV6 gradually replaces IPv4. "Even today, most of the hardware that ISPs sell does not support IPV6, or it can only be supported after a software patch has been applied." "Piers Daniell, a British network operator Fluidata Company, said.

Of course, some companies already have a strategy. As early as March, Microsoft, which also took part in the Global IPv6 Day Test, bought 666,000 IPV4 addresses at an auction for 7.5 million dollars from the bankrupt telecoms giant Nortel (Nortel).