On February 4th, 2008, one of the most significant events to happen to the internet since its conception will come to pass with nary a peep: AAAA IPv6 records will be added to four root-level DNS servers whose operators have requested it. For the first time in the history of the internet, it will theoretically be possible for two hosts running IPv6 to communicate with one another without relying on any IPv4 technology.
IPv4 will continue to operate in parallel with v6, however this is a major step towards the eventual goal of a v6 internet. While there are technical enhancements that bolster security and ease of configuration, the primary benefit is the addressing space that IPv6 offers.
Version 4 offers a limited addressing space at 2^32 addresses. The globe, as it moves towards increasing interconnectedness, is quickly running out of numbers to distribute. Version 6, in contrast, offers more than a trillion addresses per square inch of land on earth at 2^128. The addresses, unfortunately, are so complicated that it may not be possible to memorize some of the larger ones.
Ah, the delicious march of progress.
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