Net News

W ith an avalanche of Internet-enabled appliances waiting in the wings, combined with worldwide growth of the Internet, an upgrade from IPv4 to IPv6 is overdue. If nothing else, the current version's 32 bit address space offers fewer than 4.3 billion unique addresses , far short of future needs. IPv6's 128 bit address space virtually eliminates the address ceiling, as well as offering improved end-to-end security by eliminating address translators. It also provides automatic configuration of IPv6 hosts, and built-in multicast and differentiated levels of service, features only recently added to IPv4. The IPv6 Forum (http://www. ipv6forum.com/) was born this summer to encourage the spread of IPv6. Ironically, forum member Microsoft, while offering an NT IPv6 protocol stack for experimental use, is not integrating IPv6 into Windows 2000. In a statement to Network World magazine , the company flatly stated that, " due to the experimental nature of IPv6, [we] will not support it in Windows 2000, but will continue to solicit customer feedback and explore implementations in future versions of Windows. " In fairness to Microsoft, Vint Cerf, honorary chairman of the IPv6 Forum, points out that the transition from IPv4 to IPv6 faces " a lack of strong incentive for software and hardware vendors to prepare for it. " In short, customer demand isn't there. The key, Cerf feels, will be the rapid expansion of the Internet outside the U.S., and the entry of IP-requiring devices such as cell phones, PDAs and set top boxes. On September 16, the Clinton administration eased export controls on encryption. The decision was a surprise victory for groups that have fought the policies for years. House leaders, who had been planning a vote to overturn the Administration's policy, were overjoyed. Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), who, along with Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), has been championing legislation to eliminate the encryption export controls said, " This is a tremendous victory for everybody who has been proposing that the Administration change its export policy on encryption — so that we can make it more widely available and U.S. companies can compete overseas. " The new policy still requires a one-time review of products for export by an interagency group before they can be sold overseas. Not everyone is satisfied. Law enforcement forces wanted any relaxation to be tied to requirements that police agencies be able to obtain a back door key to unscramble encrypt-ed communications …