Step Three

Inventory Your Network

The next step is to find out what exactly is on your network and determine what is already IPv6 compliant or can be upgraded to the protocol. These devices aren’t limited to routers and switches but include security tools like firewalls, laptops, even printers. "Organizations deploy hundreds of printers and thousands of desktops but don’t maintain a strong accounting of them," says Vic Berger, lead technologist for the government practice at the consultancy CDW.

McManus, NASA’s acting CIO, says he broke it into two separate tasks, first taking inventory of devices that communicate with the outside world, like routers and firewalls, and doing the internal-facing devices on LANs such as laptops later. This makes the task more manageable. Also, he says, it helps to use network discovery tools as much as possible.

As you identify each device, you need to determine whether it is IPv6 ready, if it can be upgraded to IPv6 or if it needs to be replaced. "There is no IPv6 seal of approval," says Patterson, so you may end up reading manuals, calling vendors or checking websites to find out. McManus stresses that a full inventory is not an overnight project. "Even with automation it took us three months." And that was just the external network.

It’s also important to get your vendors’ IPv6 transition plans. "You can’t build your transition plan without knowing your partners’ plans," says McManus. Those plans may not be well formed yet, warns Wettling. "We are sharing our experiences with our partners," he says. "We are working with them hand and glove. We learned from what they have done, and they learn from what we are doing." If the vendor isn’t willing to work with you on a transition plan, find a new vendor.

Step Four

Rethink Legacy Systems and Practices

You can’t always expect outside help in making the transition to IPv6, however. You will need to come up with your own plan to transition older technologies, such as mainframes that are no longer supported, and to upgrade software developed in-house.

CIOs at companies that do a lot of in-house development will need to ensure that every developer builds with IPv6 in mind. For example, Microsoft has a development utility that lets programmers check an application’s source code for places that currently have IPv4 commands. At Bechtel, Wettling has identified what he calls gateway points during development—places in the cycle where a programmer hands off his source code to a quality assurance person, for example. Each of these people is now responsible for making sure that the application is IPv6 capable before it moves to the next stage of production.