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For more than 30 years, the internet protocol (IP) version four (IPv4) has been the cornerstone of the internet. However, the limited number of accessible IPv4 addresses has become a serious concern as more devices connect to the internet. This issue created the IP version six (IPv6) protocol, which provides a significantly bigger address space. Despite its benefits, IPv6 adoption has been delayed due to several problems. These include the need for IPv4 compatibility, the high expense of updating existing infrastructure, and the lack of IPv6 functionality in specific network devices. The internet's fast expansion and the rising number of connected devices have depleted IPv4 addresses. Each device needs a unique IP address to interact with other devices, but the present IPv4 address space can only allow around 4.3 billion distinct addresses, which is inadequate to meet the increasing demand. Furthermore, some corporations have been collecting IPv4 addresses, exacerbating the scarcity. Figure 1 shows the current status of available IPv4 addresses (Hamarsheh & Eleyat, 2018; Hamarsheh & Goossens, 2014; Hamarsheh et al., 2012).
It was first expected that everyone participating in the internet would happily shift to IPv6. However, this assumption proved fairly foolish. It is now commonly acknowledged that human and business considerations were undervalued, hindering a spontaneous move to IPv6. Two key stakeholders are involved in the transition: network providers and end customers. IPv6 primarily helps network providers, whereas end users may gain only indirectly from enhanced network functioning. As a result, it is doubtful that most end users will be strongly motivated to migrate to IPv6. While network providers may profit, their desire to move still depends on their end users. This results in a deadlock: commercial network providers are unlikely to compel users to move against their will. As a result, the key to a successful IPv6 transition is to make it smooth and invisible to end users. Most end users are unconcerned with the network layer and do not care if their programs utilize IPv4 or IPv6. Although end users may be unmotivated to transfer, most would not object to the shift as long as they could continue utilizing their existing apps (Hamarsheh, 2019; Hamarsheh et al., 2011a).
Figure 1. The current state of available IPv4 addresses
Changing from IPv4 to IPv6 on the IP layer may first appear to not affect programs. However, this is not the case. Applications need IP addresses to communicate; therefore, when using IPv6, they must be able to handle longer IPv6 addresses. It is unrealistic to anticipate that all apps will be upgraded to be IPv6 compliant. While many common internet apps, such as web browsers and email clients, now support IPv6, hundreds of others may not be ready for the switch. Since many of these programs are created by tiny businesses or even one person, IPv6 compatibility upgrades may not always be a top concern, particularly for programs that solely utilize the internet to perform operations like registering or checking for updates. For this reason, it is likely that many apps will not be changed to be IPv6 compatible until IPv6 use is more commonplace. However, it cannot be expected that all end users would upgrade their software following new versions of these apps with IPv6 functionality. Not all users may be able or willing to update software since it might be difficult and time-consuming. To lessen the effect on end users' experiences and promote a more seamless adoption of the new protocol, it is crucial to make the switch to IPv6 as transparent as possible (Hamarsheh & AbdAlaziz, 2019).