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From Brian Batke, chairman ODVA/ControlNet Intl. EtherNet/IP System jSIG and Paul Brooks, chairman ODVA EMEA TAG

Even before the first EtherNet/IP products were released, many networking experts were convinced that IPv6 was the future and that the future was now. Had we in the industrial Ethernet community at that time acted on those opinions, we would now have products that could speak IPv6 but no one would be there to listen.

What we see today is that most organisations minimise their use of public IP addresses and operate their internal networks using private IPv4 addresses. The concerns that the world is running out of IP addresses have thus far been alleviated as we have learned how to better control our information flow and use IP addresses as part of our security and network segmentation strategies.

Even though IPv6 has not yet seen widespread deployment, we in the automation industry cannot afford to be complacent. It seems that IPv6 is inevitable. What is not certain is when and how IPv6 will eventually be deployed, and how that will affect both vendors and users.

We might ask, what are some of the factors likely to drive IPv6 adoption in our industry? One challenge we will face is the explosion of wireless and mobile devices, each with their own IP address. In the commercial world, this can potentially mean an IP address for every mobile phone. In the industrial world, this could mean an IP address for every sensor in the factory if the dream of a truly wireless factory is ever cost effectively delivered.

Vendors and users both will likely experience pressure to support and adopt IPv6 from government agencies that include IPv6 support as part of their procurement requirements. Government agencies worldwide are currently funding numerous IPv6 projects.

It is also likely that capabilities in IPv6 will allow us to more readily solve application problems. Enhancements to IP addressing, multicast, address configuration, mobility support, security, and other IPv6 aspects should help address ever-expanding application requirements.

The most significant challenge with adopting and deploying IPv6 is the development of a workable transition strategy. We will not be able to flip a switch and instantly transition every product and application from IPv4 to IPv6. Vendors and end-users alike have significant investment in technology that rests upon IPv4. Moving from IPv4 to IPv6 will require thoughtful planning in addition to effort to retool products and applications to ensure maximum interoperability.

As automation product suppliers this gives us an obligation not just to implement what is best for our own individual components, but also to work with all parts of our customers' businesses, with other automation vendors, and with the major intranet and Internet infrastructure suppliers to ensure that implementations do not get in the way of information flow.

Within ODVA we will continue to engage with and solicit input from experts within our own customers, and through industry wide consortia and standardisation partnerships. We will also actively engage with experts from the breadth of the Information Technology industry and governmental organisations to ensure that no isolated factory floor solutions emerge.