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Guest: Peter Tseronis, Director of network services at the Education Department; co-chairman of the CIO Council’s IPv6 Working Group
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Peter Tseronis
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Peter Tseronis, the Education Department's Director of Network Services
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Moderator:
Welcome to the second of GCN.com's IT Leadership Award winner forums. Today's guest is Peter Tseronis, the director of network services for the U.S. Department of Education. Peter is the agency's IPv6 Transition Manager, a voting member on the Interagency Management Council for Federal Telecommunications and the Co-Chair for the Federal IPv6 Transition.
Peter will be with us until 2 p.m. today, and will answer as many of your questions as possible.
The second shoulder box on the right contains links to GCN's article on Peter, as well as a webinar Peter hosted for GCN.
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Russell Raab, Virginia: Is the Education Department using IPv6-enabled network hardware and software now? If so, how would rate the protocols?
Peter Tseronis: The Department of Education is not using IPv6-enabled network elements (including hardware and software) currently. The Department is in the process of defining its core network backbone infrastructure and the deployment testing strategies for the June 30, 2008, deadline.
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Don Erickson: Is there any legislation needed to enhance the transition to IPv6 or promote IPv6-related services and applications.
Peter Tseronis: The Office of E-Government and Information Technology M-05-22 serves as the baseline mandate for federal agencies to begin the IPv6 transition. Supplemental guidance via the Federal IPv6 Working Group, i.e. NIST SP 500-267 (draft), the Federal CIO Council Architecture and Infrastructure Committe's IPv6 Transition Guidance, are two representative artifacts.
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Ellicott City MD: What are the advantages to moving to Internet Protocol 6 for state and local agencies?
Peter Tseronis: IPv6 should be viewed as a paradigm shift for all Internet users. IPv6 represents the next-generation Internet. The advantages we are realizing today via cyberspace (or the Internet) will be achieved by way of IPv6 in the future...and then some. IPv6 represents an opportunity to re-examine the manner in which we have been using the Internet and to improve upon its capabilities. It's not so much how will IPv6 improve the state and local agencies. The question could be turned around and asked, "How can the state and local agencies utilize the Internet (or IPv6) to conduct its mission more efficiently, effectively, and securely.?"
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Washington, DC: What best practices would you recommend for IPv6 migration projects?
Peter Tseronis: Engage with your Enterprise Architecture community immediately (assuming you are a federal agency and you are familiar with the Federal Enterprise Architecture initiative). Should you be a non-federal organization, it is critical that any and all discussions regarding information technology modernization or refresh take into account the IPv6 protocol. Migrating to the next-generation Internet is not a flip-the-switch kind of transition. Collaboration with your existing service providers, your stakeholder community, and senior management is paramount. Developing a business case (not to be confused with OMB Circular A-11) is a step in the right direction.
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Arlington, VA: How does this transition from V4 to V6 affect those that telework? When the Federal Systems switch to V6, will an individual whose ISP is still at V4 still be able to access the Federal System remotely?
Peter Tseronis:
IPv6 will not affect telework users from the standpoint of connectivity. IPv6 and the myriad IP addresses that go along with the protocol represent the opportunity to enable ubiquitious communications, continuous connectiviety, always-on IP availability. In addition, IPv6 could transform HOW you telework in terms of enabling mobile ad-hoc networking so that you are not required to connect to resources from a desktop PC, for example.
The transition to IPv6 will take a while. Currently, the federal government is focusing on agency core backbones (the equipment that resides in your network control centers). This focus entails working with the ISPs that support each agency. As the backbone becomes IPv6-compliant, the focus will shift to federal agency systems/applications. Remember, IPv6 is like a marathon race, and June 30, 2008, represents the first mile marker.
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Sean Applegate VA: What business applications or catalysts do you see driving broad usage of IPv6 in the federal government?
Peter Tseronis: I see push services, peer-to-peer services and voice integration as new methods of communication an services leveraging the IPv6 protocol. Again, this will not be an overnight sensation. It will take time. The opportunity to put an IP address on 340 trillion trillion trillion trillion end points affords opportunities to communicate that we probably haven't even thought of at this time. IPv6 is about imagining how you want to communicate. The very nature of IPv6 promises transport-independence, that being that mobile networking will surely become prevalent over time. Additional catalysts will be consumers who want to leverage the capabilities in their homes and manufacturers who want to develop products capable of providing real-time accessible data.
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Richard Martin, Dallas: Are there any tools or applications on the market that are IPv6-ready?
Peter Tseronis: It really depends on who you talk to. Most manufacturers of Internet applications and infrastructure are touting IPv6-capable portfolios. However, as standards continue to evolve (both within the federal government and industry) the maturation process of said tools and applications will result in a more universal application of the IPv6 protocol.
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Rob Mariani, Cabin John, MD: I don't wish to belabor the point raised in question 4, but could you elaborate on the benefits of implementing IPv6, specifically in terms of beneficial applications?
Peter Tseronis: IPv6 will benefit the communication landscape in that more IP connectivity will be enabled. In addition, the protocol itself has been constructed to integrate security into its baseline configuration. The beneficial (or killer) applications that we will realize will initially focus around auto-configuration of devices, enhanced quality of service (for voice, video and data communications), improved network management efficiencies, and peer-to-peer multimedia services (real-time information sharing). The applications of these features are to be determined. Once the infrastructure (the plumbing if you will) of routers, firewalls and circuits become tried, true and tested, I expect the application community and consumers like you and me to drive service providers to create new and improved net-centric products and services. The question to you and me is really, "Imagine if I could do the following...(and fill in the blanks)." Just go back and remember your first encounter with the Internet and ask yourself if you would have thought (back then) if you would be using it the way you are today.
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