About Internode and IPv6

Welcome to Internode's IPv6 site.

Customers are advised to read this entire page prior to accessing IPv6 through Internode

You're viewing this page using IPv4 ( 38.103.63.61 )

Internode's core network is now running IPv6 natively, and we now connect to many peers and upstreams directly over IPv6. This means that we're one of the first networks in Australia to have full IPv6 connectivity, and we're now making IPv6 available to our customers.

What is it?

IPv6 is the next generation Internet Protocol, primarily with longer IP addresses (128 bit vs 32 bit for IPv4) to overcome the pending shortage (perhaps as soon as 2011) of IPv4 addresses.

It's likely that IPv6 will give us enough addresses for quite some time - about 340,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 in fact.

See Wikipedia for more details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipv6

What is Internode doing?

Internode now run 'dual stack' (ie IPv4 and IPv6 together) over our core network, with global IPv6 peering and transit in the US, and local Australian IPv6 peering.

Who can get it?

Currently IPv6 is available via two methods:

• Tunnel Broker (click here for instructions) - Using a software 'tunnel', IPv6 access using a dynamic IPv6 address is available to all Internode customers.
  
  With this method, tunnel client software is loaded on to your end system.
  
  This software connects your system to the Internode IPv6 tunnel gateway and links you through to our IPv6 backbone.
  
  The tunnel server allows your end system(s) to access to IPv6 even if your ADSL router or other devices in your network do not support IPv6 access directly
  
  Systems currently supported for use with our Tunnel Broker include Mac OS X, Windows, Linux and Cisco routers.
• Native Ethernet (click here for details) - Direct attachment to our native IPv6 network on a 'dual stack' basis, with a static IPv6 address allocation.
  
  Available for Ethernet/Fibre connected, co-located or cross-connect customers at major points of presence across the country. Full BGP and IP transit services are also available.
  
  This access method requires that you and/or your IT staff are comfortable configuring and operating a native IPv6 connection.

Future options

We are also working toward the provision of native IPv6 access to 'layer 2' customer services (ADSL, Wireless ADSL, Dialup, ISDN) on a 'dual stack' basis (concurrent with IPv4 access). Internal testing of  this access mode is currently underway.

Note that at this time, while most Cisco routers support native IPv6, most other ADSL routers do not do so at this time. We are working with our router vendors to encourage them to add IPv6 support to their  devices in the future.

Important Caveats - Please read before using IPv6

Security

While the IPv6 protocol is not new, its global deployment is still at a relatively early stage.

It is important to appreciate that the use of the Internode IPv6 Tunnel Broker effectively bypasses any firewall/security features in your existing IPv4 router/firewall, by connecting your end system  directly to the IPv6 Internet. IPv6 client system firewall software  and security features are in relatively early stages of development  for some end systems.

If you are not comfortable using IPv6 at this time, on this basis, please do not proceed.

Cost

There is no extra charge for using IPv6 access with Internode.

No Unmetering with IPv6

The 'Unmetering' of certain sites that is offered to Internode ADSL customers is not available via IPv6 (regardless of access method). Internode has not yet determined whether unmetering will be  either technically feasible or commercially viable to offer to its  customers in the future.

Accordingly, all downloads of data from the Internet via IPv6 is metered, regardless of whether a given site is available on an 'unmetered' basis to ADSL customers using IPv4.

Tunnel Overheads are included in your download assessment

Internode meters your monthly downloads by measuring the total bytes of IPv4 packets delivered to your service.

Using the Tunnel Broker, IPv6 packets are encapsulated into IPv4 packets in order to move IPv6 data between your end system and our tunnel broker.

IPv6 access using the Tunnel Broker necessarily results in a small additional data overhead (the extra data being needed to encapsulate your IPv6 packets into IPv4 tunnel packets).

Accordingly, data downloads using IPv6 will result in higher consumption of your download quota compared to a download of the same quantity of payload data using IPv4.