Hitachi, Ltd. today announced that it has developed the
IPv6 software "Toolnet6" that enables the next generation Internet
Protocol IPv6 to work on personal computers mounting
Windows(R) 95,
Windows(R) 98, or Windows
NT(R). Hitachi is the first in
the industry to provide IPv6 software for personal computers that
can use existing application programs. The software will be
offered free of charge from Hitachi's home page
(www.hitachi.co.jp/network/) on and after August 20.
Hitachi also intend to present its technical contentsand
announce the start of free-of-charge distribution at the 42nd
IETF* Meeting to be held in Chicago from August 24 in
order to promote practical use of IPv6 in IPv6 experiment sites
throughout the world.
An experimental network was established within Hitachi using
"Toolnet6" and the "NR60" router for IPv6 and started its
operation in July 1998.
*IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force):
Organization to promote standardization of Internet
specifications.
In recent years, with the tremendous spread of the Internet, the number of systems connected to the Internet has doubled every year. Accordingly, the address space of the existing Internet
Protocol IPv4 has been consumed and is said will be exhausted in
several to ten-odd years. With IPv4, such functions as security,
priority control, or automatic configuration are provided only as
optional functions. This will be a great problem in the future
when higher security and real-time communication are require for
the Internet. For reasons of the exhaustion of IP addresses, the
addition of various functions and improvement of performance, the
IETF is promoting the standardization of the next generation
Internet Protocol IPv6 and has roughly determined its basic
framework.
Hitachi, Ltd. has been developing IPv6 technology and has
conducted advanced activities toward practical use. Concretely,
the company manufactured the "NR60" router which works with IPv6
and has an IPv4 address translating function as the first product
in the industry. "NR60" is already widely used in IPv6
experimental environments around the world. Hitachi participated
in/connected to the IOL (Interoperability Laboratory) of New
Hampshire University in the USA and the world-famous IPv6
experimental network 6Bone to verify the mutual connectability,
and also made proposals related to protocol translation technology
at the IETF in December 1997, playing a leading role in the IPv6
field in the world.
The IPv6 software "Toolnet6" can run on Windows(R)
95,Windows(R) 98, and Windows NT(R) and can
provide connections to IPv6 networks. This makes it possible to
use existing application programs in the IPv4 environment.With
this, an IPv6 experiment system of server/client style in the
Windows environment can be constructed.
Hitachi expects that "Toolnet6" will contribute to the progress
of the Internet as an infrastructure for companies and society
through its use in advanced IPv6 experiments to be conducted by
carriers, Internet service providers, research institutes and
companies all over the world.
In "HITNET," an information network within the Hitachi group and
one of the world's largest scales, connecting 613 domestic and
overseas bases, a large experimental network will be constructed
for a future shift to IPv6 to verify various technologies in the
IPv4/IPv6 combined environment, acquire operational technology of
the IPv6 network, and develop, evaluate and provide applications
and services making the most of IPv6. Hitachi started in-house
experiments in July 1998, and are scheduled to extend it to
experimental networks by connecting its divisions and other
Hitachi companies in the future.
Hitachi, Ltd. intends to support IPv6 for servers acting as a
key in intranets and extranets in addition to routers, LAN
switches, ATM switches and network control software by making the
most of the technologies of " Toolnet6" and "NR60".At Hitachi's
Internet connection service "netSpace" and company network
outsourcing service "Compassport", Hitachi is going to provide new
services adopting the IPv6 technology. Hitachi will make efforts
to smoothly shift from the existing IPv4 environment to the IPv6
environment and realize higher security, real-time communication,
and higher practicability, which are features of IPv6, in order to
implement the next generation Internet environment in an early
stage.
Trademarks
-Toolnet is registered trademark of Hitachi, Ltd. in Japan.
- The full name of Windows 95 is Microsoft(R) Windows(R) 95
Operating System.
- The full name of Windows 98 is Microsoft(R) Windows(R) 98
Operating System.
- The full name of Windows NT is Microsoft(R) Windows NT(R)
Operating.
- Windows and Windows NT are registered trademarks of Microsoft
Corporation in the U.S. and other countries.
WRITTEN BY Secretary's Office
All Rights Reserved,
Copyright (C)
1998, Hitachi, Ltd.
