Google, Facebook, Akamai and Yahoo will take part in the test flight of Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) scheduled on 8 June 2011 along with the Internet Society, an organisation which handles Internet standards.
IPv6 is the low-level technology used to ensure that data gets from place to place on the Internet. It’s designed to replace the older but established IPv4 system that, due to technical limitations, failed to grow with the Internet as it became a worldwide phenomenon.
Net firms are being encouraged to switch to IPv6 as addresses in the old scheme are expected to run out by November 2011.
The test is being conducted to eliminate any issues that might crop up during the worldwide transition to IPv6.
These sites have agreed to ensure that IPv6 entrances to their sites will be available, along with any network infrastructure needed to receive IPv6 traffic.
IPv6 currently has provision for about four billion IPs. Moving to IPv6 will allow four billion times that number.
Google already offers an IPv6 version of its search site as does Facebook.
