IPv6 is Around the Corner

Lately we've been working hard on getting IPv6 setup network-wide. Getting IPv6 is really more complicated to get setup on the policy and procedure side than it is technically, as technically it isn't all that difficult. The plan will be to allocate a /56 per dedicated hosting/small colocation customers with the plan to be to give each individual server a /64 (the same number of IPs as the entire IPv4 block squared). Larger colocation customers, will be allocated their own /48 for them to distribute as they wish.

Now, this may seem wasteful, but the idea with IPv6 is to reduce the size of routing tables, to make routing easier, etc. by making the first allocation to someone all they will ever need. There should never be a need for an additional/secondary allocation, keeping overall router configurations simple.

For connectivity, we already have IPv6 transit from Hurricane Electric, NLayer, and Atlantic Metro. We also have IPv6 peering with several other networks through the Equinix Exchange and ChIX. We do not have an official release date yet for the IPv6 product, but we hope it does not take much longer. The plan is to initially release it as a "beta" product with no SLA, but that beta period should last no longer than 2-3 months, assuming everything goes smoothly.