Lacnic Presented Certi√6, a System that Certifies the Future of the Internet

17/04/2013

The Latin American and Caribbean Internet Address Registry has created a protocol to guarantee an application’s compatibility with the technology that is becoming exhausted (IPv4) and the Internet of the Future (IPv6)

Lacnic, the Latin American and Caribbean Internet Address Registry, has developed a certification system for checking whether computer systems and applications currently running on the IPv4 platform can support IPv6, the new Internet technology.

There is the chance that the software currently used by many organizations and companies might not be compatible with the new Internet technology. As a result, these organizations and companies would no longer be able to offer their online services or products and could possibly lose their users and customers.

In order to help businesses and organizations in the process of adapting their IT systems to the IPv6 platform, Lacnic has invested in research and development and created the Certi6 methodology so that software testing and communications experts can certify that an application runs successfully on the new Internet technology.

Luisa Villa, Customer Manager at Lacnic, told Lacnic News that the lack of IPv4 and IPv6 compatibility may affect “all Internet users,” which is why Lacnic has developed a protocol to help transition from a technology that is practically exhausted (IPv4) to the Internet of the Future (IPv6) in a manner that is as simple and complication-free as possible.

What is Certi6, who developed Certi6, and how does Certi6 work?

Just as each telephone has its own number, every device connected to the Internet is assigned a unique number known as an “IP address.” The number of available IP addresses on the Internet as we know it (IPv4) is practically exhausted, which is why ISPs and content providers are moving to a new technology (IPv6) that will allow them to continue to grow and innovate, making the Internet of the future a reality today.

Applications currently running on IPv4 may not work properly on IPv6. Not every software available on the market is compatible with this new technology, and companies using such software may not be able to offer their customers their products or services over the Internet. To solve this problem, Lacnic has developed a protocol that provides guidelines for software testing and communications experts and allows them to certify that a software application runs properly on the new IPv6 platform.

How will the certification process be implemented in Latin America and the Caribbean?

Lacnic will allow organizations who wish to become certifiers to use the protocol developed by Lacnic and to issue certificates of compliance through the use of the Certi6 license.

I would like to certify my company or our products. What should I do?

If you would like to know whether your software supports IPv6 technology, you should contact a Lacnic accredited certifier and request your software to be certified. The certifier will perform compatibility tests using the methodology developed by Lacnic and suggest which changes are needed for your software to run successfully on both IPv4 and IPv6.

If you would like to become a Lacnic accredited certifier, to offer this new consulting service to your customers, and to issue Certi6 certificates of compliance, you should submit documentation proving your company’s background as well as your human resources’ IPv6 and software testing qualifications and expertise to info@certi6.com. To prove their knowledge and understanding of the Certi6 methodology, human resources designated by the company must pass an exam. Once these requirements are met, Lacnic will license the company, who will then be able to issue certificates of IPv6 software compatibility using the methodology designed by Lacnic.

Why is this certification system important and why should a company or organization certify their products or applications?

The transition from IPv4 to IPv6 is inevitable, and this transition will be transparent to Internet users. Most customers of companies offering online services do not know whether they are connecting to the Internet through IPv4 or IPv6, which also means that companies will not know which Internet protocol their clients are using when trying to access their services. Consequently, it is important to ensure that products or services can run successfully on both IPv4 and IPv6. For example, a bank should be absolutely certain that if one of their customer wishes to make a wire transfer over an IPv6 connection he or she will be able to do it exactly as if it were over IPv4.

What are the possible consequences of an organization not having a certificate of IPv4/IPv6 compatibility for its services or applications?

There is a risk that their applications will not run for all their customers, which they might therefore lose. In order for a company that provides online services to continue to offer its products or services to all its customers, it is essential to make sure that during the transition from IPv4 to IPv6 their applications will run properly on both platforms.

Who may be affected by an application’s lack of IPv4/IPv6 compatibility?

Potentially, every Internet user. This includes both the companies offering services who may be unable to reach all their customers, as well as users who can not access the services they need. Imagine that you do your weekly grocery shopping online and, all of a sudden, you can no longer process your orders. As expected, Internet providers are increasingly offering Internet access over IPv6; however, due to compatibility issues with the supermarket’s software, you can no longer shop for your groceries. It is also possible that the supermarket will not even be aware of this problem. Chances are you’re not the only customer with this problem. The result of online orders no longer being processed is that customers will take their shopping elsewhere, which is a lose-lose situation. By creating this protocol, Lacnic wants to help the transition from a technology that is practically exhausted (IPv4) to the Internet of the Future (IPv6) be as simple and complication-free as possible from an Internet user’s  point of view.