Analysis of organizations IPv6 deployment strategies in Nigeria and evaluating suitable transition mechanisms

Abstract

Due to the continuous growth of the Internet, current internet communication protocol (IPv4) is no longer sufficient for the future. The Next generation Internet Protocol (IPv6) brings the solution for the long predicted limitations of IPv4. But the resistance to change from IPv4 is hindering the adoption of IPv6. In Africa, IPv4 is still in use and as a result affecting the acceptance of IPv6. These research work analysed the factors affecting IPv6 adoption in Nigeria by conducting a survey for enterprise organizations to understand their deployment approach and challenges faced. Many organizations indicated insufficient technical skills, lack of training programs, cost of upgrade etc. as key factors affecting IPv6 deployment. Further investigation was conducted by some world renowned organizations based on their IPv6 deployment strategies and five key phases were discovered to be used. A simulation experiment of dual-stack and 6to4 tunneling mechanism was conducted to understand how IPv4 and IPv6 co-exist simultaneously and how the gradual transition takes place.