LAWRENCE, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 16, 2004--On March 11, 2004, the Kansas Research and Education Network (KanREN) successfully deployed IPv6, the next generation of IP Networking technology and became the first state-wide network to do so. In doing so, KanREN continues to be in the vanguard of networking technology.

IPv6 addresses many of the weaknesses of IPv4, the current technology, including the growing shortage of IPv4 addresses as the global Internet grows. IPv4 provides approximately four billion IP addresses; IPv6 is capable of handling over 340,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000!

However, IPv6 is much more than the availability of additional IP addresses. When successfully deployed, IPv6 greatly simplifies configuration of end-nodes on local networks.

Until now, IPv6 has only been used by high-end research and military networks, including organizations like NASA, Internet 2, and research universities. Because of the limitation on IPv4 addresses, the international community is especially interested in developing IPv6 networks.

KanREN continually strives to keep educational institutions -- elementary through high school -- colleges, universities and other non-profit organizations in the State of Kansas on the leading edge of technology so they can take full advantage of newer technologies as they become available.

Story at Business Wire