IPv6 Tunnels: Transitioning from IPv4 to IPv6 Addressing

More Internet traffic is expected to be carried via tunnels as the Internet infrastructure migrates from IPv4, the current version of the Internet protocol, to the long-anticipated upgrade known as IPv6. IPv4 uses 32-bit addresses and can support 4.3 billion devices connected directly to the Internet. IPv6, on the other hand, uses 128-bit addresses and supports a virtually unlimited number of devices -- 2 to the 128th power.

The regional Internet registries said in April 2010 that less than 8% of IPv4 addresses remain unallocated. The remaining IPv4 addresses are expected to run out in 2011 or 2012.

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