Currently, the dominant internetworking protocol is Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4). Yet, each IPv4 address is limited to a thirty-two bit field length, which corresponds to a maximum of approximately four billion unique internetworking addresses. IPv6 is the next generation of IP messaging that uses a one-hundred-twenty-eight bit field length, resulting in an enormous increase of supportable unique addresses. In fact, the new allotment will permit every person on this planet to have over four billion internetworking addresses!

Potential IPv6 conversion issues are internetworking device computational and/or bandwidth overhead, which in turn can impact communication performance. End-users who are planning migration to IPv6 as well as designers and implementers of IPv6, must understand the technology in order to assess the risks associated with this paradigm shift and prepare effective and efficient responses.

Sources:

Davis, Robert E. IT Auditing: Assuring Information Assets Protection. Mission Viejo, CA: Pleier Corporation, 2008. CD-ROM.

IBM. Armonk, New York: International Business Machines. http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/zvm/v5r4/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.zvm.v54.kijl0/hcsk7b3014.htm (accessed: February 5, 2012).

IPv6 Addressing. Na: IP6.com. http://ipv6.com/articles/general/IPv6-Addressing.htm (accessed: January 26, 2011).

Unicast IPv6 addresses. Redmond, WA: Microsoft. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc759208(WS.10).aspx (accessed: February 5, 2012).

Wikipedia. San Francisco, CA: Wikimedia Foundation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packet_switching (accessed: February 5, 2012).

Post Note: “A Few Fundamental Features of IPv6 Internetworking – Part VI” was originally published through Suite101.com under the title “A Few Fundamental Features of IPv6 Internetworking”

The IPSec model is an architecture composed of standard rules for protecting IP traffic. IPSec is also a set of protocols utilized to secure IP packet exchanges that operate at the Internet Layer of the TCP/IP reference model. IPSec utilizes certificates and Public Keys to authenticate and validate the sender and receiver.

Tunnel and Transport are the two telecommunication modes supported by IPSec. IPSec standard rules can be incorporated into transport and tunnel mode encapsulation. As a distinctive feature, Tunnel mode provides two additional header records for sending messages, thus requiring more processing. In addition, Tunnel mode is usually implemented between two gateways or a gateway and server.

Sources:

Davis, Robert E. IT Auditing: Assuring Information Assets Protection. Mission Viejo, CA: Pleier Corporation, 2008. CD-ROM.

IBM. Armonk, New York: International Business Machines. http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/zvm/v5r4/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.zvm.v54.kijl0/hcsk7b3014.htm (accessed: February 5, 2012).

IPv6 Addressing. Na: IP6.com. http://ipv6.com/articles/general/IPv6-Addressing.htm (accessed: January 26, 2011).

Unicast IPv6 addresses. Redmond, WA: Microsoft. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc759208(WS.10).aspx (accessed: February 5, 2012).

Wikipedia. San Francisco, CA: Wikimedia Foundation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packet_switching (accessed: February 5, 2012).

Post Note: “A Few Fundamental Features of IPv6 Internetworking – Part V” was originally published through Suite101.com under the title “A Few Fundamental Features of IPv6 Internetworking”

Through TDM incorporation, optical-fiber networks can use dense wavelength-division multiplexing (DWDM), also known as wave division multiplexing (WDM), in which different data signals are sent in different wavelengths of light in the fiber-optic medium.

How networking services are maintained by enterprises

Network Administration is the function designated to maintain a secure as well as reliable on-line communications network and serves as liaison with user departments to resolve network needs and problems. Specifically, this function is generally responsible for maintaining network security, maintaining optimum system performance, and providing technical assistance to users. Thus, just like the ‘telephone service technician‘, the network administrator should be considered the specialist capable of reestablishing communication if service quality is diminished.

“View Part I of the A Few Fundamentals of Networking Electronically Encoded Data series here”

Post Note: “A Few Fundamentals of Networking Electronically Encoded Data – Part IV” was originally published through Suite101.com under the title “A Few Fundamentals of Networking Electronically Encoded Data”

Input or output (I/O) channels are paths along which datum are transmitted to and from primary storage. These communication channels also handle the transfer of datum to and from I/O devices. As a result, this function can relieve the Central Processing Unit (CPU) of responsibility for data transfers to and from I/O devices, increase the number of input and output operations that can be performed simultaneously and reduce the time a CPU must wait for datum to arrive from, or sent to, an I/O device.

A common IT transmission technique for telecommunications is multiplexing. Multiplexing is the process of transmitting multiple (but separate) signals simultaneously over a single channel or line. The two main types of multiplexing methods are time-division multiplexing (TDM) and frequency-division multiplexing (FDM). Because the signals are sent in one complex transmission, the receiving end has to separate the individual signals through de-multiplexing.

“View Part I of the A Few Fundamentals of Networking Electronically Encoded Data series here”

Post Note: “A Few Fundamentals of Networking Electronically Encoded Data – Part III” was originally published through Suite101.com under the title “A Few Fundamentals of Networking Electronically Encoded Data”

In order to send data over a network, the necessary programs must be executed. However, datum must be organized for transmission. Consequently, a very important networking concept is the packet. Packets are telecommunication units transmitted from a sending device to a receiving device with an appended header. Substantively, a packet header contains information that is required to transfer attached data across the network.

“View Part I of the A Few Fundamentals of Networking Electronically Encoded Data series here”

Post Note: “A Few Fundamentals of Networking Electronically Encoded Data – Part II” was originally published through Suite101.com under the title “A Few Fundamentals of Networking Electronically Encoded Data”

“View Part I of the Trans-border Communication Protection series here“

Concerning secure access, virtual private networking requires a carrier as well as encapsulating protocol to provide tunneling functionality. Therefore, encryption, authentication, and data packaging usually are incorporated in a SSL VPN. Furthermore, below the OSI transport layer, a VPN can provide additional privacy data protection. This has many manifestations, the most popular being IPSec, typically implemented as a protected ‘tunnel’ between two gateway routers. An IPSec ‘vanilla’ VPN only uses the Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP) header record. However, ESP protects against IT communication eavesdropping, forgery, or replay risks.

“View Part I of the Trans-border Communication Protection series here“

Alternatively, IPSec is a protocol suite that enables security at five OSI reference model layers during internetworking communications. The IPSec model is an architecture composed of standard rules for protecting Internet Protocol traffic. These standard rules can be incorporated into transport and tunnel mode encapsulation. Tunnel mode provides two additional header records for sending messages, thus requiring more processing. Neither the application nor the stacking protocol needs to be cryptographically aware, since all designated traffic is encrypted regardless of origin within the entity’s information security perimeter. Possible IPSec issues are network device computational and/or bandwidth overhead.

“View Part I of the Trans-border Communication Protection series here“