New Mailing List for “Migrating Apps to IPv6” Updates

Would you like to be notified when updates are made to “Migrating Applications to IPv6“?  If so, there’s a nifty little sign-up box over in the right sidebar that will add you to an email distribution list that I will use ONLY to alert you to news about the book.  Info about updates will also be posted here to the book’s blog, of course, and will also appear on the Google+ page and in my normal Twitter stream. But I realized recently that some readers might want to receive specific messages when updates are available.  If you purchase the ebook directly from O’Reilly, you’ll get notified through their notification system, but if you purchase through another retailer – or would just like to receive an extra update, please feel free to subscribe.  I promise I won’t spam you or do anything else with your email address outside of alert you to the new updates.

Thanks for your interest in the book!

Updated Version of “Migrating Applications to IPv6” Book/Ebook Available Through O’Reilly

If you’ve bought the ebook or printed version of the book within the past few weeks, you should have received the most recent updated version.  As I mentioned previously, I submitted to O’Reilly a range of updates – and have confirmed that an updated version is now shipping.  It includes:

  • Added new section on recent events and changes that make it critical for application developers to be thinking about IPv6.
  • Added section on connecting to DNS servers over IPv6 and about DNS and DHCPv6
  • Added sidebar about RFC 5952, “A Recommendation for IPv6 Address Text Representation”
  • Expanded text about “Happy Eyeballs” algorithm and included mention of RFC 6556 for testing for happy eyeballs.
  • Added brief info about lessons learned from World IPv6 Day
  • Added info about World IPv6 Launch in 2012
  • Added new section on testing resources
  • Added new section about setting up an IPv6 test network
  • Updated IPv6 NAT info to point to RFC 6296
  • Added warning about SMTP’s way of showing IPv6 addresses
  • Added additional resources, including a new section about some informational RFCs that may be of interest to application developers.

If you previously purchased the book directly from O’Reilly, you should have been notified of this update.

I’m very appreciative of the feedback received thus far – and definitely welcome further feedback!  I’ve also received many kind words and comments that the book has been very helpful.  That’s great to hear… and exactly why I wrote it!

Updates Submitted For “Migrating Applications To IPv6” Book

Very early this morning, I submitted a range of updates to the book to O’Reilly’s production team. As this is the first formal update I’ve made, I’m not sure of the exact process from here, but at some point soon the updated content will be available as part of the normal book.  I’ll post about it here on the site when it’s ready, and anyone who bought the ebook directly from O’Reilly will be automagically notified about how to download the updates.

Here’s a snapshot of the changes I made to the book:

  • Added new section on recent events and changes that make it critical for application developers to be thinking about IPv6.
  • Added section on connecting to DNS servers over IPv6 and about DNS and DHCPv6
  • Added sidebar about RFC 5952, “A Recommendation for IPv6 Address Text Representation”
  • Expanded text about “Happy Eyeballs” algorithm and included mention of RFC 6556 for testing for happy eyeballs.
  • Added brief info about lessons learned from World IPv6 Day
  • Added info about World IPv6 Launch in 2012
  • Added new section on testing resources
  • Added new section about setting up an IPv6 test network
  • Updated IPv6 NAT info to point to RFC 6296
  • Added warning about SMTP’s way of showing IPv6 addresses
  • Added additional resources, including a new section about some informational RFCs that may be of interest to application developers.

I’m pleased with how it came out… there’s been a great amount of new information added in the last few months that will be helpful for application developers and it was great to incorporate that into the book.

Next up, I’d like to add some images that illustrate some of the points in the book… but that’s the next update…

… and please do let me know if you have suggestions for additions you’d like to see in the book, either as a comment here or via email.

World IPv6 Launch Coming On June 6, 2012 – Will Your Apps Work with IPv6?

WorldIPv6Launch 250On June 6, 2012, World IPv6 Launch will mark the time when IPv6 is permanently enabled by many operators, website operators, content providers and organizations around the world.

Will your application(s) work on IPv6? What will you need to do to make sure that your apps work as well on IPv6 as on IPv4?

The main point of the book was to help you think through the questions and look at what you need to do.

Will you be ready?

First Update Started To “Migrating Apps to IPv6” – Any Further Feedback?

After moving through a job change and reaching a steady state with a family medical issue, I’ve finally got some cycles ahead of me to get back to something I’ve wanted to do for several months now… get an update out to this book!

I’m currently writing more text and am looking to do the following to the book in this update:

  1. Add a few more graphics to illustrate points, particularly the “happy eyeballs” concept.
  2. Expand coverage of the “privacy address” issue.
  3. Expand on the issues around Carrier-Grade / Large-Scale NAT.
  4. Add in some of the lessons from World IPv6 Day on June 8th.
  5. Add examples / case studies from people who have gone through the migration of their app over to IPv6.

On this final point, I have a few developers who I am contacting to see if they are willing to share their story, but I am definitely open to including more case studies. If you have migrated one of your applications to work on IPv6, I’d love to hear from you.

Beyond this list, do any of you have other points you would like to see included in the book? Or areas in the book that you would like to see expanded?

Please either leave a comment here or drop me an email to let me know. Thanks!

I’m not sure of the exact timeframe but I’m hoping to get an update out by the end of November.

P.S. Note that any of you who bought the ebook directly from O’Reilly will be automatically notified when the new version is published online.

Time Warner Cable Seeking More Volunteers for Residential IPv6 Trials

Ipv6 200If your cable company here in the USA is Time Warner Cable and you get your high speed Internet access through them, they are looking for more volunteers for their residential IPv6 trials. This message below went out yesterday to the NANOG mailing list:

Time Warner Cable is expanding our residential IPv6 trials in several markets, and we need more people. If you’re a Time Warner Cable High Speed Internet subscriber, and are interested in participating in our IPv6 trials, please let us know! We have a short form at

http://www.timewarnercable.com/Corporate/support/IPv6_volunteerform.html

that will help us find the right mix of people, equipment, and locations, to get the most out of our trials.

Thanks in advance for participating!

As a Time Warner Cable subscriber, I immediately headed over to complete the form. My whole home office uses IPv6, but it’s through a tunnel out to Tunnelbroker.net and while that works okay, I’d love having native IPv6.

Now, whether or not little old Keene, NH, qualifies as one of the “several markets” to which they are expanding their trials remains to be seen…

Looking For IPv6 Application Migration Case Studies To Include In The Book – Care To Share Yours?

Ipv6 200As I have continued to talk and speak about IPv6 and issues around migrating applications over to IPv6, one of the themes that has repeatedly come up is that developers are looking for examples of people who have gone through the migration from which they can learn.

Understandably, they’d like to know what pain – or NOT – other developers had to go through to migrate their app to work on IPv6.

With that in mind, I’m thinking of adding a new section to the book with specific case studies around apps that moved successfully into a IPv6/IPv4 world. Basically capturing what the developers did or did not do, what they had to change, how their application needs to be configured to work with IPv6 (if it does), etc., etc.

I have several companies and individual app developers that I will be contacting to include, but the beauty of an e-book is that there really isn’t a limit on what I can include in terms of length. So…

IF YOU HAVE MIGRATED AN APP TO IPv6, I’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!

I have some questions I’d like to ask you about what you’ve done, the challenges (or lack thereof) you encountered, etc. I expect that an email exchange is all that is needed, although if you are interested I’m toying with maybe also doing some video interviews as well (typically via Skype video).

Please do contact me if you’re willing to share your experience. Working together we can build a compilation of case studies that can help more people make the move to IPv6! Thanks!

I am NOT Speaking at OSCON Friday About IPv6

Oscon LogoSadly, I will not be speaking about migrating applications to IPv6 on this Friday, July 29, at OSCON 2011 up in Portland, Oregon. Instead, my colleague Adam Kalsey will be presenting the talk on my behalf. (Adam is also speaking about managing open source releases of a cloud platform.)

As I wrote in the beginning of the book, it was my proposal to OSCON (which was accepted and scheduled) that prompted O’Reilly editor Mike Loukides to contact me about writing what become the book “Migrating Applications to IPv6“.

In a cruel twist of fate, though, I am now unable to attend OSCON and give the very presentation that prompted the book. Shortly after signing the contract to write the ebook a few months ago, my wife was diagnosed with very early stage breast cancer. While she has now “survived” this bout of cancer, she is still in recovery from the operation, is still in pain and still has a limited range of motion and ability to lift objects. Most importantly, she still can’t really lift our 2-year-old daughter… and, as anyone who has had a 2-year-old can attest, they frequently need lifting! So this year my place needs to be here with her…

While I’m sure Adam will give a great session on Friday and while I may be doing a follow-up webinar with O’Reilly, I would have loved to be out at the über-geekfest that is OSCON! For those who are there, I hope you have a great conference – and perhaps I’ll see you there next year!

P.S. And I am greatly appreciative to Adam for covering my presentation!

Interested in Reviewing “Migrating Applications to IPv6”? Looking For Reviewers…

Are you wondering about what might be involved with making an application work with IPv6? Do you develop apps and haven’t given much thought to IPv6, but are thinking maybe you should? Or are you an advocate for IPv6 looking to understand what books are out there?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, would you be interested in reviewing my latest book, “Migrating Applications to IPv6“, published by O’Reilly in June 2011?

I have two reasons for asking:

  1. The reality of today’s book marketplace is that reviews sell books. People do make purchasing decisions based on reading the reviews that people write. Right now there’s only 1 review of my book on O’Reilly’s site and none on Amazon.com. I’d love to see a few more out there on those sites… I’d also love to see some independent reviews on blog sites.
  2. The other reality is – I would like feedback! I’ve had some great comments from some friends who work with IPv6, but I’d like to get more feedback. Is the book appropriate for the target market? Is there anything more you’d like to see in the book? Were there sections that you felt could have had more text?

The beautiful thing about this book is that O’Reilly is focused on it being a living, breathing eBook. I can add more text or sections to it at any time and that new content will then be made available to anyone who has purchased the eBook. (eBook owners get email notifications through O’Reilly’s store mechanism… which works really well in my experience! You can also just login to O’Reilly’s site and see what books have new versions waiting for you to download.)

So in my mind I would like to see this book be an ongoing compilation of “best practices” around migrating applications to IPv6. I already have some ideas for additions… but I’d like to hear from others.

If you are interested in reviewing the book, please drop me an email and include in your message the email address you use at members.oreilly.com (and if you don’t have an account you can sign up for free). I will then pass your info along to O’Reilly and they will drop a copy of the eBook in your O’Reilly account. You can then download the book in the format of your choice: ePub, Mobi (Kindle) or PDF.

All I would ask is that in return you post an honest review of the book somewhere on the web… O’Reilly’s site… Amazon… your blog… some other site. Note that I’m not just asking for glowing reviews… sure, I love those and they help… but if you don’t like the book or think it has issues, I want to hear that feedback, too! At this point my main interest is in seeing some more reviews out there.

Thanks for the consideration!

Slides: Impact of IPv6 on Telecommunications Applications

At the recent Emerging Communications (eComm) Confernce 2011 I spoke about “How IPv6 Will Kill Telecom – And What We Need To Do About It“. It wasn’t all about applications – I also got into the impact of IPv6 on telecom protocols – but still I thought that some of you may find my slides of interest. I do include several examples of issues facing applications:

How IPv6 Will Kill Telecom – And What We Need To Do About It

View more presentations from Dan York

At some point a video of the session will be online and I will provide a link here when that is available.