More IPv6 and DNS

Upcoming federal deadlines for IPv6 implementation mean that core IP services including DNS will come under some scrutiny. In January, eWEEK Labs will go on-site at WiscNet to evaluate a DNS replacement project. DNS, the service that translates names into IP addresses, so you can type in www.eweek.com instead of 192.168.22.35, is a relatively distant cousin, architecturally speaking, of Layer 3 IP. However, the June 2008 milestone for IPv6 adoption in all federal agencies raises a host of questions including how DNS will accommodate the much larger 128-bit IP address. The pressure on DNS is coming from e-mail and software-as-a-service applications that depend on the aging infrastructure. Add to this the coming implementation of IPv6 and I see a growing justification for looking at how DNS is currently implemented with an eye to modernizing the ubiquitous protocol that enables us connect point A to point B. Because DNS plays a...