Windows Support for IPv6 Increases

All of Microsoft’s current OSs—Windows XP SP2, Windows Server 2003, and Windows CE 4.2—now come with partial support for Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6), and Microsoft’s Customer Service and Support (CSS) group will now help customers resolve IPv6 issues. IPv6 is a set of standard network protocols that will eventually replace IPv4, the current standard, which is saddled with limitations such as inadequate address space, inefficient routing, difficulty configuring devices, and inability to prioritize real-time data, such as voice.

The current Windows IPv6 implementations are not intended for production use, but provide a rudimentary platform for learning, planning, development, and testing. Full IPv6 support won’t come until the next major releases of Windows and Windows CE (code-named Longhorn and Cardhu, respectively), but Microsoft is supporting IPv6 now because it is becoming a checklist requirement, especially in Asia and for government contracts. However, migration to IPv6 will be a huge industry effort, and it involves much more than support in Windows. Migration will also affect routers and firewalls, and the ISPs, backbone carriers, and wireless carriers that operate the Internet. In addition, many Internet and intranet applications will have to be changed to make them IPv6-compatible. For this reason, the timing of different migration milestones is extremely uncertain.