Node4 have recently achieved a RIPE 4 star IPv6 rating, meaning they have all the requirements needed to deliver IPv6 services to their customers.

RIPE NCC created a rating system, in which LIRs (Local Internet Registries) can gain up to 4 stars for IPv6 services, depending on the following criteria:

The list contains a comprehensive database of all LIRs and DAUs (Direct Assignment Users) with 4 star IPv6 RIPEness offering services in the UK, of which just 8% of all LIR's in the UK achieved.

In order to achieve this rating, Node4 have had to complete the following steps:

• Get IPv6 address space from the RIPE NCC
• Have the address space visible in global routing
• Register a 'route6' object for this address space in the RIPE database
• Have reverse DNS for this address space set-up

What does this mean for Node4 customers?

Node4 can offer IPv6 addresses with full access to the IPv6 Internet.

• Use these IPv6 addresses to dual stack (equipment has both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses) your network equipment to enable testing of IPv6 on your existing connections alongside your IPv4 connectivity
• Avoid rising costs of additional IPv4 addresses by utilising IPv6 connectivity
• Avoid possible future accessibility issues as more of the internet transitions to IPv6.

For more information on how to deploy IPv6 to your own network, read Node4's white paper here.