Internet

====IPv6====
Because of the growth of the Internet and the [[IPv4 address exhaustion|depletion of available IPv4 addresses]], a new version of IP [[IPv6]], was developed in the mid-1990s, which provides vastly larger addressing capabilities and more efficient routing of Internet traffic. IPv6 uses 128 bits for the IP address and was standardized in 1998.<ref name=rfc1883>{{Cite IETF|rfc=1883|title=Internet Protocol, Version 6 (IPv6) Specification|author-link1=Steve Deering|author1=S. Deering|author2=R. Hinden|date=December 1995|publisher=Network Working Group}}</ref><ref name=rfc2460>{{Cite IETF|rfc=2460|title=Internet Protocol, Version 6 (IPv6) Specification|author-link1=Steve Deering|author1=S. Deering|author2=R. Hinden|publisher=Network Working Group|date=December 1998}}</ref><ref name=rfc8200>{{Cite IETF|rfc=8200|title=Internet Protocol, Version 6 (IPv6) Specification|author-link1=Steve Deering|author1=S. Deering|author2=R. Hinden|publisher=[[IETF]]|date=July 2017}}</ref> [[IPv6 deployment]] has been ongoing since the mid-2000s and is currently in growing deployment around the world, since Internet address registries ([[Regional Internet registry|RIRs]]) began to urge all resource managers to plan rapid adoption and conversion.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.arin.net/knowledge/about_resources/ceo_letter.pdf |title=Notice of Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) Address Depletion |access-date=7 August 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100107095025/https://www.arin.net/knowledge/about_resources/ceo_letter.pdf |archive-date=7 January 2010 }}</ref>

IPv6 is not directly interoperable by design with IPv4. In essence, it establishes a parallel version of the Internet not directly accessible with IPv4 software. Thus, translation facilities must exist for internetworking or nodes must have duplicate networking software for both networks. Essentially all modern computer operating systems support both versions of the Internet Protocol. Network infrastructure, however, has been lagging in this development. Aside from the complex array of physical connections that make up its infrastructure, the Internet is facilitated by bi- or multi-lateral commercial contracts, e.g., [[peering agreement]]s, and by technical specifications or protocols that describe the exchange of data over the network. Indeed, the Internet is defined by its interconnections and routing policies.