News for and about the Internet2 community

[Brian Warkoczeski <>]

Merit Network to Host Internet2 IPv6 Workshop, August 2-3

Workshop prepares network engineers for new realities of Internet 
addressing

Ann Arbor, Mich. -- Merit Network Inc. announced today that it will host 
the Internet2 IPv6 workshop, a special learning opportunity for network 
professionals led by the Internet2 IPv6 Working Group. The two-day 
workshop is presented through Merit's Professional Learning program and 
will take place on August 2-3, 2011 at Merit's offices in Ann Arbor.

IPv6, or Internet Protocol version 6, is designed to replace the 
prevailing Internet protocol, IPv4. The most vital feature of IPv6 is 
that it offers a vastly expanded set of addresses for numbering 
Internet-connected computers. The set of addresses available under IPv4 
is not adequate for future needs, and organizations that operate 
networks will be transitioning to using both IPv4 and IPv6 over the next 
few years.

Dale Finkelson, chair of the Internet2 IPv6 Working Group, says that 
IPv6 implementation is a firm reality for organizations that operate 
networks.

"The Internet community has foreseen for many years that the pool of 
IPv4 addresses would reach a point of depletion someday. That day 
arrived this past February, when the final blocks of available addresses 
were distributed to the registry organizations that assign addresses to 
network operators worldwide. While we expect a gradual transition, the 
time is now for network professionals to learn about IPv6 and begin 
implementing it within their networks."

Andy Rosenzweig, manager of professional learning at Merit, is pleased 
that Merit is able to offer this development opportunity for network 
professionals.

"The Internet2 IPv6 workshop is an ideal way to get an introduction to 
the fundamentals of IPv6 deployment. It combines theoretical knowledge 
about IPv6 with information about how to implement the protocol and 
hands-on work in constructing a live network."

The workshop will provide participants with the skills needed to design 
and set up a functioning IPv6 network. A network built during the 
workshop will be connected to the Internet2 IPv6 network, and thus to 
the rest of the global IPv6 network. Participants will also learn about 
and implement IPv6 transition tools that can be used to gateway between 
devices that use IPv4 and those that use IPv6. The workshop will be of 
value to any networking professional.

The workshop is led by members of Internet2's IPv6 Working Group, which 
works to provide campus engineers the information they need to deploy 
and support IPv6 within their campuses. Additional information about the 
working group is available at http://ipv6.internet2.edu.

Anyone is welcome to attend the workshop. Members of Merit and Internet2 
receive a special reduced rate.
Registration and more information are available at:

http://www.merit.edu/ipv62011

About Merit Network

Merit Network Inc., a nonprofit corporation owned and governed by 
Michigan's public universities, owns and operates America's 
longest-running regional research and education network. In 1966, 
Michigan's public universities created Merit as a shared resource to 
help meet their common need for networking assistance. Since its 
formation, Merit Network has remained on the forefront of research and 
education networking expertise and services. Merit provides 
high-performance networking solutions to public universities, colleges, 
K-12 organizations, libraries, state government, healthcare, and other 
non-profit organizations. Merit has been Michigan's Internet2 Network 
connector since 1999.

About Internet2

Internet2 is an advanced networking consortium led by the research and 
education community. An exceptional partnership spanning U.S. and 
international institutions who are leaders in the worlds of research, 
academia, industry and government, Internet2 is developing breakthrough 
cyberinfrastructure technologies that support the most exacting 
applications of today--and spark the most essential innovations of 
tomorrow. Led by its members and focused on their current and future 
networking needs since 1996, Internet2 blends its human, IP and optical 
networks to develop and deploy revolutionary Internet technologies. 
Activating the same partnerships that produced today's Internet, the 
Internet2 community is forging the Internet of the future. For more 
information, see http://www.internet2.edu.