IPv6 implementation in existing eGovernment infrastructures

Abstract

After some years of postponed IPv6 adoption, in February 2011 the depletion of the central repository of IPv4 Internet addresses managed by the IANA finally motivated countries to walk down the road to the almost infinite address space provided by IPv6. The dependence of the global economy on the connectivity offered by Internet access has forced to start the long and complex process of IPv6 transition in all countries. While the basic technological aspects can be considered resolved, the expected coexistence of both protocols for a long time to come raises the need to coordinate actions at national and supranational levels. Governments have played in the past a tractor role in promoting new technological innovation supporting the evolution from industrial society to the knowledge society, so it is necessary that they exercise leadership once again in the transition to IPv6. This need has been identified as a priority by the European Union, which, in the "European eGovernment Action Plan 2011-2015", demanded governments to lead by example by taking "action to upgrade IPv6-relevant eGovernment infrastructure (portals, websites, applications etc.) and online services of public interest". In that sense, some European governments have already started their IPv6 transition, acquiring valuable knowledge about the challenges of the process. Among them, Germany, Spain, and Turkey have carried out, as part of the GEN6 project, three national pilots of transition to IPv6 focused on the upgrade of different elements of the eGovernment infrastructure: government networks, websites and services, and data centres. This booklet describes some relevant aspects of the IPv6 transition in eGovernment services, based on the experiences of these national pilots, which will help you to design your own way to IPv6.