[NTLK] IPv4 v IPv6

[Ed Kummel]

Short answer is "no".

If you are using your Newton to gain access to the internet it is usually done from behind some kind of router...home or work routers...or sometimes your ISP router.
There are two sides to most routers, the WAN (Wide Area Network) which faces the internet (usually through your ISP) and the LAN (Local Area Network) which faces the machines inside your house or business. If your router is also set up for DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol), this means it serves up a non-routable IP to any client that requests it, then any device that requests an IP from your router will be served an IPv4 IP. It doesn't really matter what kind of IP your ISP gives you, that's on the WAN side and completely separated from the LAN side, the devices on the LAN side will be translated to whatever IP is on the WAN side when you make a network request outside of your LAN address. 
If you are using your Newton as a server, and using a router like above, then again, your Newton will be getting it's IP from your router and it will be an IPv4. You need to set up NAT (Network Address Translation) so that you can forward traffic from the WAN side that is destined to the Newton across to the LAN side, and then to your Newton. This usually involves some kind of alternate port use or port forwarding.
It can get really complicated to explain, but simple to implement. So as long as you maintain an IPv4 on your LAN side of the router, you should be OK...you don't need to recognize IPv6 at all...This is mainly an issue with large carriers and Tier 1 providers...
Now, what will really start to screw things up is when new devices are developed that only understand IPv6...and you attempt to accomodate them inside your network...so now your LAN has to DHCP IPv4 *AND* IPv6 IPs. Not looking forward to this event!
Ed
web/gadget guru

------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Driving a car is a lot like a child's coloring book...you really should strive to stay within the lines"

  --Ed

--- On Wed, 2/2/11, Tony Kan <tony.kan at clear.net.nz> wrote:

From: Tony Kan <tony.kan at clear.net.nz>
Subject: [NTLK] IPv4 v IPv6
To: "Newtontalk" <newtontalk at newtontalk.net>
Date: Wednesday, February 2, 2011, 2:56 PM

Here's a question for our more Internet Savvy members:

There's much talk about the last of the ip addresses being divvyed out over the
last week and that new addresses are only compatible with IPv6.

Does this transition have any affect on the usability of the Newton as an
Internet device?

TIA

Tony

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