Since 1995, the IETF has actively worked on developing IPv6-related IETF drafts and RFCs in various working groups to include the following:
■ Applications area
■ Internet area
■ Operations and management area
■ Real-time applications and infrastructure area
■ Routing area
■ Security area
■ Transport area
Some of the most active areas for IPv6 standardization have occurred in the Internet, operations and management, and transport areas. These areas have been and many still are quite active in the development of standards around addressing, deployment, management, transition, and security of IPv6. It is critical for implementations of IPv6 and its associated architectural components to be based on standards to ensure interoperability between vendors.
The IETF drafts and RFCs are numerous and change or are updated frequently. Research, read, and understand what is happening in the IETF and other standards organizations to be prepared for changes related to IPv6. You an find more information at http://www.ietf.org.
In addition to the IETF, the IPv6 Forum has also developed an IPv6 Ready logo program that certifies IT infrastructure (networking, computing, and storage) with respect to IPv6 conformance and interoperability testing. The key idea of this program is to increase user confidence by demonstrating that IPv6 is available now and is ready to be used. The IPv6 Ready Logo Committee defines conformance and interoperability test specifications to enable different vendors to certify their products toward IPv6 readiness. Additional details of the IPv6 Ready logo and certified products can be found at http://www.ipv6ready.org.
