Future of the Internet does not include a IPv7, says Vint Cerf

Vint Cerf takes seriously its title of Chief Internet Evangelist for Google and is grainy in several projects to build the next version of the Internet. These projects include pushing for the adoption of IPv6 around the world, but they do not include plans for a IPv7.

Cerf sat down with Cisco Subnet editor of network world, Julie Bort, at the annual Conference of the digital broadband migration in Boulder, Colo., to discuss the future of IP, home networking, Internet of Things Internet, preventing the so-called "kill switch" and other topics. Here is the first part of the interview.

[Part 2: Cerf: 2011 will be the test point for the ' Interplanetary Internet ']

[Interview: Podcast and transcript]

There is, or will there be a IPv7, and what new problems to solve?

During the period of time, when we were trying to figure out what to do to address space expansion, there were actually four proposals. Those were eventually reduced to one. So, in fact, 7, 8, 9, do not exist. Currently there seems to be no incentive to invent yet another one. Now the problem is to get IPv6 widely deployed and implemented before we are literally out of IPv4 address space.

But that shouldn't stop anyone from thinking of new ways to redesign the Internet. In fact there is an effort to "clean sheet" that takes place at Stanford University, supported by the National Science Foundation, to watch as we design the Internet today would know all the things that we already know about it. At least one concrete result was a "media router which handles differently from traditional router. But how, as far as I know there aren't any new plans for the changes to the Protocol of the IP layer. One day there will be, I'm sure. (See story: "Showtime for media to GENES advanced networking project event")

The consumer of public/media never will have to make sure that all their household devices (routers, etc.) speaks of IPv6 ... or will be NAT and the efforts of carriers to bridge IPv4 to IPv6 is sufficient for the next decade?

No, it won't be enough, and I'm not a big fan of carrier-grade network address translation. Part of the reason is the whole notion of network address translation is fragile, and is not allowed by the server will be available at the premises of the consumer.

In the days when the Internet is highly asymmetric, where you can download faster than you can upload it, putting a home server traffic is something broadband providers who do not like very much because it consumes a lot of broadband capacity uplinks. But over time, I think it will be not only desirable, but natural enough, have server at home as well as the use of the cloud. Symmetrically ability and IPv6 are a very attractive result and I'm not a big fan of carrier-grade NAT--but it might prove that NATs are necessary in order to facilitate the transition during this time when we need to run both protocols. (See story: "Can Save large scale NAT IPv4?")

Do you think the IPv6 protocol is so urgent as it is on the corporate network?

I believe it is urgent because if we don't get up and running at the same time both protocols, the day may come when there are servers that can run only IPv6, or there may be users who may be running only IPv6 and couldn't get anything else, because the NAT boxes were exhausted.

I think it is important to get both protocols at home without a hitch. Laptop and desktop already capacity. Usually is the firewall, the NAT box and perhaps your broadband modem that you have at home that have not been configured for IPv6. (See story: "Cisco Linksys router still does not support IPv6")

So when we turn on IPv6 June 8 on a worldwide basis as a test for 24 hours (day IPv6), I'm sure there will be things that don't work and those that must be addressed (no pun intended).

I would much rather see a concerted effort to get everyone up and running on IPv6. Then the transition is smooth because it does not matter whether the target is running IPv4 or 6, everyone can speak to everyone.

What do you see as the next big consumer usage for the Internet?

If I knew it would invest in it. But I think it's pretty clear that social networking is a big part of that. The available platforms that allow people to create their own content and share is probably the most important avenue. The next will be the Internet of Things where we start managing collections of devices for our benefit. At some point you will understand that third parties can come in and manage the stuff for us. Our entertainment systems could be managed by a third party that has nothing to do with the content and provides simply organizing ability, so that we can make sure all our entertainment shows on all platforms where we want.

You have publicly discussed the home network sensor that notifies you when your basement gets too hot or too dry. You said that was built using technology from Arch Rock, acquired by Cisco in September. Is Zigbee or z-wave or something else?

Is actually 802.15.4, 6LoWPAN. Is a network of 6LoWPAN running over IPv6.

Recent events in Egypt and the Government of the United States proposed "Internet kill switch" ... I get the sense that by giving the Government the ability to transform the Internet out this is not something that would approve. There is a technology solution to prevent it?

Remember, the Internet can be executed on a substrate, and if the substrate is controllable from the Government, you can turn off the Internet. If we ever get to the point where the mesh networking and we say, peer-wise, point-to-point interactions can be performed without the benefit of things like routers provided by your Internet service provider ... If you can build Web parts that sort of self-assemble [then couldn't be turned off Internet].

Governments to control what can control if they want, and then the only way around that is to have a network that is self-organizing. And technology is available to do so.

Part 2: Cerf: 2011 will be the test point for the ' Interplanetary Internet '

Julie Bort is the editor of earthbound Community decided to the worldwide network. She pens the blog of odds and ends for Cisco Subnet, the Microsoft Update blog for Microsoft Subnet and the job seeker's blog for Open Source Subnet source. Follow Julie on Twitter @ Julie188

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