IPv6 - Discovery

Project Statement

The purpose of this project is to assess Western’s readiness for IPv6, and to implement support for IPv6 networking by December 2025 in alignment with WA State OCIO Policy 300.  During the rollout, WWU will develop new IPv6 networking processes and standards and guide system administrators and support staff on the migration to IPv6. 

Every device that connects to a network has a unique address assigned to it.  In the 1980s, a standard called "Internet Protocol Version 4" (IPv4) was implemented for this purpose, and is still in use today.  But because there are so many network-connected devices in the world, and IPv4 addresses are limited to a certain number of digits, the world has effectively run out of new addresses to give.  To fix this problem, a new protocol with longer addresses, IPv6, has been created.

Goals

• Direct device owners on creating and completing an inventory of their assets. 
• Provide advice and guidance to asset owners on confirming their IPv6 readiness. 
• Transition network infrastructure to support IPv6 in addition to IPv4. 

Deliverables 

Discovery of Assets 

• Complete inventory of network-based university applications, devices, and services.  
• IPv6 readiness report for all items included in the inventory. 

Integration of IPv6 into the IPv4 Network Infrastructure 

• Create external IPv6 neighborship with Internet Service Providers and remote site connections. 
• Deploy WWU’s assigned IPv6 prefix on the network. 
• Configure routing devices to process IPv6 traffic.  
• Establish critical IPv4 network services for IPv6. 

Contacts

If you have any questions about this project please feel free to contact Project Manager Deborah Frost, 360-650-7422, or Chris Miller at 360-650-4479.