Just a guy in Vermont trying to connect all the dots...
Dan York
Author's posts
Jun 10
Apple Will Require IPv6 Support For All iOS 9 Apps
“Because IPv6 support is so critical to ensuring your applications work across the world for every customer, we are making it an AppStore submission requirement, starting with iOS 9.” With those words, Sebastien Marineau, Apple’s VP of Core OS, gave a huge boost to IPv6 developer support in Apple’s WWDC Platform State Of The Union (SOTU) address yesterday.
You can watch the Platform SOTU presentation yourself (although you may need the Safari browser to do so). The IPv6 segment begins at 34:16 and Marineau’s statement about the AppStore requirement can be heard at 37:16.
Here, though, is the quick summary.
Why IPv6?
Sebastien Marineau began by talking about IPv6 and why it is important:
In particular he noted that carriers in several regions of the world are now deploying IPv6-only networks and emphasized the importance of making your application work well for everyone, everywhere. He reinforced how critical it is to support IPv6:
“If your application doesn’t work properly with IPv6, it will simply not function on those networks, those carriers and for those customers.”
He also explained how Apple has supported IPv6 for over ten years now since early versions of Mac OS X and from iOS 4 onward.
3 Steps For Developers
He went on to explain three steps all developers can take to make sure their applications work over IPv6 networks:
Those steps are:
- Use the networking frameworks (for example, “NSURLSession”)
- Avoid use of IPv4-specific APIs
- Avoid hard-coded IP addresses
Essentially, if app developers are using the higher level APIs and frameworks and aren’t hacking around at the IP layer, their apps should probably “just work” on top of either IPv4 or IPv6.
Testing Your App Over IPv6
However, Martineau addressed the question of “how do you test your app over IPv6?“, particularly when many app developers may not have access to a native IPv6 Internet connection. He indicated that in an upcoming release of Mac OS X there will be a new feature to help with this:
What I understood Martineau to say was that you will be able to set up a “personal WiFi hotspot” on your Mac and check an “IPv6-only” box. Your iPhone/iPad with your app could then connect to that specific WiFi network to work in an IPv6-only mode. The Mac would then provide the gateway to the legacy IPv4 Internet so that the app on the IPv6-only network could connect out to services on IPv4 servers.
THIS IS HUGE! One of the struggles many application developers have had is to easily create an “IPv6-only” network in which to test systems. Even those of us who are IPv6 advocates/enthusiasts have struggled with making this work well. It typically involves bringing up a second access point (which you are effectively doing with this new configuration) and then turning off all IPv4 services on that access point, which some access points make difficult to do.
Whenever this feature rolls out in Mac OS X, it will greatly help all of us who are working on apps and systems and want to test them in an IPv6-only environment.
An Important Step
Now, to be clear, most iOS app developers probably won’t have to do all that much to support IPv6. If they are already using the higher level APIs and networking frameworks they should be all set. The exact mechanisms of IP address handling are not a concern of theirs. However, some app developers will have to make some changes, particularly if they are directly using IPv4 addresses as any kind of identifier or in logging.
More importantly, the requirement for AppStore submission will require app developers to test their applications with IPv6 networks, and that alone will suddenly cause the millions of iOS app developers out there to have to learn at least something about IPv6 (if nothing else, the fact that it exists).
Most significantly, though, this step by Apple means that all the iOS apps that run on iOS 9 will work well over the IPv6-only networks that are starting to be deployed. Even in dual-stack (IPv6/IPv4) networks, this should mean that iOS 9 apps will work better in those environments when, for instance, IPv6 may be faster. (More needs to be understood here about the specifics of the IPv6 support.)
And… this also will help take away the argument used by some network operators who are still not moving ahead with IPv6 that “why should we deploy IPv6 when apps don’t support it?”
Apple’s answer is that, as of iOS 9, all iPhone/iPad apps will support IPv6!
Kudos to Apple for taking these steps, creating this new AppStore submission requirement, and also providing what sounds like a new and easy way to create IPv6-only networks!
We’re looking forward to iOS users being able to use ALL their favorite applications on an IPv6-only network!
P.S. If you want to get started with IPv6, please visit our Start Here page to find resources tailored for your role or type of organization. The time to make the move to IPv6 is TODAY!
Also, hat tip to Adam Iredale on Twitter, who first brought this new requirement to my attention, and to Borja Reinares who provided some more information.
Jun 09
Will iOS 9 Make My iPad2 Usable Again?
I have one very simple question amidst all the media hype about Apple's WWDC announcements yesterday:
Will iOS 9 make my iPad2 usable again?
Yes, all that other stuff announced yesterday sounds cool... but I have this more basic question.
You see, I made a mistake.
I believed Apple when they said that iOS 8 would run on an iPad2. I mean, the device is from 2011 - it was "only" three years old when iOS 8 came out last year. It was still working very well with iOS 7 and I was excited to try out iOS 8.
To be crystal clear, Apple is correct - iOS 8 does "run" on an iPad2. But...
... it... r...u...n...s... s... o... o... o... o.... o.... o... o... ... g... l... a... c... i... a... l... l... y... ... s... s... l... l... o... o... o... w... w... w... l... l... l... y... y... y...
... that it's hardly worth using. It takes a long time to open up applications, to bring up the keyboard, to switch between applications, etc. It is so slow that I've really stopped using it for almost everything but occasionally reading documents when traveling.
Yes, I do realize this is a very definite "first world problem" in that much of the world doesn't have access to even a device such as an iPad2. So who am I to complain about how slow a device is?
I acknowledge that.
But the iPad2 did work very well with iOS 7 ... and the cynical view is that iOS 8 seemed to be a way to make all of us iPad2 users get frustrated enough to buy new devices. And sure, that's perhaps great for Apple's revenue (assuming we don't buy an Android device instead) ... but it's not great for all the electronic waste of discarded devices. I'd like to continue using what is otherwise a perfectly fine device.
In the WWDC announcement yesterday, Apple's Craig Federighi mentioned that iOS 9 was slimmed down to be able to be upgraded easier over-the-air. He said that it was to help make sure it would run on all devices.
My request to Apple would be simply that - please make iOS 9 truly run on the iPad2!
If Apple is going to claim to still "support" the iPad2, they should do so in a way that lets you use the device in the manner in which we used it when we purchased it.
Or... they should simply be truthful about it and drop the iPad2 from the list of supported devices. Then we all who have them can at least know and not bother upgrading iOS. (And we can figure out what we want to do with the device...)
Will iOS 9 make my iPad2 usable again? I don't know... but I'll definitely be upgrading when it is released because at this point I don't know that Apple can make the device worse than it is running iOS 8. :-)
UPDATE: - On September 30, 2015, I wrote about my own experience with an iOS 9 upgrade and pointed to some of the comments here on this post.
Photo credit: an image of a massive glacier by David Stanley on Flickr
Jun 08
The Hobson & Holtz Report #811: The State of Internal Communication
Intro: Neville’s first show off, welcome Rachel Miller — host of All Things IC — as guest co-host, new interview with Netvibes’ CEO and head of marketing has been published, Digital India will join the FIR Podcast Network lineup;
Quick News: BBC inadvertently tweets about the Queen’s ill health during an “obituary rehearsal,” JPMorgan is dumping voicemail, theme park criticized for horrific roller coast crash, US Federal Trade Commission will hold publishers accountable for deceptive native advertising, Media Monitoring Minute from CustomScoop;
News That Fits: The state of internal communication: Is it still viable as an independent function? Will it ever go mobile? Why isn’t small business embracing it? What values should be at internal communication’s core?; listener comments from the FIR Podcast Community on Google+; the end of the manel (all-male panel)? as IBM’s Andrew Grill gives up his seat on a conference panel to a women who asked why no women were on stage; Dan York’s Tech Report: linking FIR’s Book Reviews to a Pinterest board, EuroDIG, Google+ Collections; Igloo Software promo; the last week on the FIR Podcast Network; a look at Social Media Examiner’s 2015 Social Media Marketing Industry Report;
Music from Mr. Blotto; and more.
Links to the content in this episode are on Delicious.
The post #811: The State of Internal Communication appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Jun 06
Celebrating The 3rd “Launchiversary” Of World IPv6 Launch
Three years ago today, on June 6, 2012, the Internet fundamentally changed as IPv6 became “the new normal” for thousands of websites, hundreds of Internet service providers, many device manufacturers and in so many other systems and services. This was all part of “World IPv6 Launch” where all those participants came together to permanently enable IPv6 for their networks, websites and devices.
Every since that time, we’ve continued to chronicle the ongoing growth of IPv6 both here on the Deploy360 blog and also on the World IPv6 Launch blog. The ongoing World IPv6 Launch measurements continue to show the momentum happening on networks all around the world. Here’s that fantastic chart we saw last month from Verizon Wireless’ network coming in over 70% IPv6:
The momentum keeps on building and building… we see it in all the different IPv6 statistics sites. Look at this chart from Google’s IPv6 stats:
Growing from under 1% in June 2012 to now right around 7% just three years later!
The growth in IPv6 deployment IS happening. The supply of IPv4 addresses IS running out (see ARIN’s note that they will officially be all out shortly for North America). Companies ARE having to pay higher prices to obtain existing IPv4 addresses.
It’s happening. NOW.
If you haven’t joined with the thousands of other companies that turned on IPv6 three years ago today, NOW IS THE TIME TO BEGIN! Please visit our Start Here page to find resources focused on your role or type of organization.
Congratulations to all the companies and organizations that made the move 3 years ago and in the time since. We look forward to celebrating more “Launchiversaries”… until that time when it won’t matter any more because IPv4 will no longer be the default.
It’s time to make the move to IPv6! Please do it today!
P.S. And after you do, if you are a network operator, why not sign up with the World IPv6 Launch measurements project and we’ll start measuring the IPv6 traffic from your networks, too!
Jun 05
TDYR 250: Reflections on EuroDIG 2015 in Sofia, Bulgaria
I attended my first European Dialogue on Internet Governance (EuroDIG) in Sofia, Bulgaria, this week. In this episode, I talk all about what went on there... more info can be found at:
https://www.internetsociety.org/blog/europe-bureau-public-policy/2015/06/internet-society-eurodig-2015-sofia-bulgaria-week-network
Jun 04
EuroDIG Sessions on Friday, June 5, about Cybersecurity, Network Neutrality, IANA, Access and More (Featured Blog)
What do Europeans interested in Internet policy think about cybersecurity, network neutrality, IANA, improving Internet access and other topics? Tomorrow the second day of the European Dialog on Internet Governance (EuroDIG) 2015 in Sofia, Bulgaria, will cover all those topics and many more. I've listed some of the sessions that either I or my Internet Society colleagues are participating in. I will personally be involved as a panelist on the two sessions about cybersecurity. More...
Jun 04
How Did Estonia Grow From Near 0% IPv6 To 8% In 7 Months?
How did the country of Estonia grow from close to 0% IPv6 deployment to almost 8% in about 7 months? What did the network operators there do? By way of a tweet today we learned that RIPE Labs published this great IPv6 case study about the Estonian growth. The story also includes this impressive chart from Akamai’s State of the Internet report:
That shows the growth of IPv6 usage through March 2015 – and today Google’s IPv6 statistics put Estonian usage at 7.75% (as of June 2, 2015) and APNIC’s IPv6 stats show the country hitting over 8% in late May 2015:
Sooo… how did they do this?
Well, we should really direct you to the APNIC Labs guest post from Tarko Tikan of Estonian Telecom:
and also his recent presentation, “Enabling and Securing IPv6 in Service Provider Networks “:
A couple of high-level points I took away from the material:
- They did not try to justify the IPv6 deployment on its own – instead they folded it into a planned project to replace their broadband network gateway (BNG).
- They made sure they had a fall-back mechanism in place so that customers would not notice any issues with IPv6.
- They paid a great amount of attention to the customer premises equipment (CPE) and rolled out IPv6-capable CPE in advance of the deployment.
- They used access control lists (ACLs) to be able to limit and then quickly open up IPv6 deployment to different parts of their network.
Tarko provides some great statistics in his APNIC post:
As for the statistics, we have a total of 250,000 subscribers in our network. We have 38,000+ active IPv6 subscribers (almost 15% of our customer base). Eighty-one percent of these have at least one IPv6-enabled device in the LAN and 70% have more than one.
Again, the article and video provide more information. Kudos to APNIC Labs for publishing it and for Tarko Tikan for providing the information.
If you want to get your network operating with IPv6, please visit our Start Here page to begin! Consider joining Estonian Telecom and the many other service providers who have made the move to IPv6!
P.S. If you are network operator and enable IPv6, why not join the World IPv6 Launch measurements effort so that your network will appear in our monthly IPv6 measurements?
Jun 01
The Hobson & Holtz Report #810: The deepening FIFA scandal, sponsors, and reputation
Intro: FIR Interview with Leila Janah posted, FIR Interview coming with Netvibes CEO Freddy Mini and marketing director Kim Terca; Neville’s taking an “FIR break” in June: what you can expect in the meantime in Shel’s network experiment;
Quick News: Who are Twitter’s verified users?, couple live-Periscope their wedding, the new Ice Bucket challenge: Hold a Coke between your boobs, Ford launches pay-per-minute GoDrive car sharing service in London; the Media Monitoring Minute with CustomScoop;
News That Fits: The deepening FIFA scandal: are the sponsors key to getting the Beautiful Game back?; a look at Mary Meeker’s 2015 State of the Internet report; listener comments in audio and from the FIR Podcast Community on Google+; global newspaper readership falls more than 25% in four years says study; Igloo Software promo; Dan York’s Tech Report: on the road to Bulgaria, the critical elements to getting your blog post noticed; the past week on the FIR Podcast Network;
Music from David Peck; and more.
Links related to content in this episode are on Delicious.
The post #810: The deepening FIFA scandal, sponsors, and reputation appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Jun 01
IPv6 for ISPs: State of deployment and lessons learned – Slides and Video from RIPE70
What is the state of IPv6 deployment within Internet Service Providers (ISPs)? What lessons can be learned from recent deployments? At the recent RIPE 70 conference, Aaron Hughes gave a great overview of the current state and lessons that can be learned. His slides are available as PDF:
The video is also available from the RIPE 70 archives.
Not to spoil it too much, but Aaron concludes that yes, indeed, ISPs are deploying IPv6 successfully! 
If you want to start deploying IPv6, please visit our Start Here page to get started!
Jun 01
Internet Society At EuroDIG 2015 in Sofia, Bulgaria, this week: network neutrality, cybersecurity, improving access and more…
How do we ensure an open, trusted Internet across all of Europe? How can we help all countries across Europe realize the full opportunities provided by the Internet? What do we need to do to improve the overall security of the Internet? And what kind of regulations and policies would best support the ongoing growth enabled by the Internet?
Dan York
