[Fed-Talk] IPv6 for Fed agencies
[Fed-Talk] IPv6 for Fed agencies
- Subject: [Fed-Talk] IPv6 for Fed agencies
- From: "Dan O'Donnell" <email@hidden>
- Date: Tue, 05 Jul 2005 14:52:39 -0700
A magazine article last week says that OMB has mandated IPv6 for all Federal
agencies by June 2008. That's only three years to implement such a deep and
broad change. I know OSX 10.3 and 10.4 are capable of it, but wonder if
anybody has done any testing of OSX with IPv6 yet?
<http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0605/062905tdpm2.htm>
OMB: Agencies must use advanced Internet by 2008
By Chloe Albanesius, National Journal's Technology Daily
Federal agencies must use the next-generation Internet service known as
Internet protocol version 6 (IPv6) by June 2008, the White House Office of
Management and Budget announced Wednesday.
The office said it would issue a policy memorandum dictating full federal
"IPv6" compliance in an effort to spur its deployment throughout government
agencies.
The Defense Department currently is the only federal body to have made
strides in implementing IPv6. Due to this "lack of government-wide progress"
and concerns about the "complexities of transition," OMB will release a
"comprehensive transition planning guide," OMB Administrator Karen Evans
said in written testimony for the House Government Reform Committee.
The five-point compliance guide will require agencies to familiarize
themselves with transition issues, an effort Evans described as the
"overarching challenge" of moving from the current IPv4 to IPv6. The move
will "require many changes in the architecture of many agency networks," as
well as "large capital investments and labor resources."
An undertaking so complex will require an agency point person to lead and
coordinate the transition, Evans said. "This person will be responsible for
monitoring, enforcing and reporting on the transition and implementation of
IPv6 within the agency."
With this person in place, agencies will be charged with developing, by the
first quarter of fiscal 2006, an inventory of existing IP-capable equipment
and an analysis to determine the financial impact and risks of the
transition, Evans said.
"While we know that IPv6 technologies are deployed throughout the government
... we do not know specifically which ones, how many there are, or precisely
where they are located," she said. "For cost, the agencies must report on
estimates for planning, infrastructure acquisition, training and risk
mitigation."
Finally, the government's Chief Information Officers Council will be charged
with developing "more detailed IPv6 implementing guidance" by year's end,
Evans said. The group will have to issue guidance on developing a sequencing
plan, IPv6 integration, training materials and test plans for compatibility.
With these efforts in place, OMB wants all agencies to use IPv6 by June
2008, Evans said. "Setting this firm date is necessary to maintain focus on
this important issue."
In a 41 page report released in May, the Government Accountability Office
said that federal agencies other than the Defense Department have yet to
plan for IPv6.
David Powner, GAO director of information technology management issues, told
the committee that the government is behind the "8 ball" from a leadership
perspective in implementing IPv6.
"It's clear we don't have a deadline like Y2K," Powner said. "[But] if we
allow others to develop IPv6 before us, they'll be the ones to develop the
killer application."
Having federal agencies work on transition efforts will help "further
increase industry activities in the United States," said John Curran,
chairman of the American Registry for Internet Numbers.
Jawad Khaki, corporate vice president for Microsoft, pushed for a
"market-based conversion to IPv6 [as] the most technologically feasible and
least disruptive" transition process. He speculated that the flexible nature
of IPv6 would mean that conversion activity would happen "at the edge of the
network" with home computers, eventually moving to "encompass the rest of
the global Internet infrastructure."
Microsoft's next operating system, dubbed Longhorn, will be "fully
IPv6-capable," Khaki said.
"To reap the benefits from IPv6 federal agencies first must begin to plan
and develop requirements that will take full advantage of what the new
protocol offers," committee Chairman Tom Davis said. The Virginia Republican
expressed concern about the security and competitive risks associated with
the IPv6 transition.
Reporter Daniel Pulliam contributed to this story.
--------------------
This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and
may contain privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use,
disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended
recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies
of the original message.
_______________________________________________
Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored.
Fed-talk mailing list (email@hidden)
Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription:
This email sent to email@hidden