F5 Receives IPv6-Ready Gold Logo and USGv6 Certifications

F5’s BIG-IP® 10000 is industry’s first Application Delivery Controller to complete rigorous IPv6 interoperability tests

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
• BIG-IP 10000 series appliances receive IPv6-Ready Gold Logo certification from IPv6 Forum industry consortium
• BIG-IP 10000 appliance and VIPRION 4300 blade complete NIST USGv6 accredited testing
• F5 is the first ADC vendor to pass both IPv6 interoperability testing requirements

SEATTLE – F5 Networks (NASDAQ: FFIV) announced that it has completed extensive interoperability testing with Internet Protocol (IP) Version 6. Testing was undertaken by IPv6Ready.org and by the University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory to verify that F5’s BIG-IP 10000 series application delivery controller (ADC) appliances are compatible with IPv6. F5 is the first vendor to have an ADC appliance complete both rigorous interoperability testing regimens.

IPv6 is foundational to the next generation Internet, enabling a range of new services and improved user experiences. With emerging trends in mobility, Internet-connected sensors, and cloud imposing increasing demands on the network, every device that uses an IP address must eventually support IPv6. “The migration to IPv6 is both necessary and pressing,” said Dr. Mallik Tatipamula, VP of Product Management and Marketing at F5 and co-author of a foundational 2004 IEEE-published treatise on IPv6 integration. “The process can experience delay if organizations fear that moving to IPv6 will degrade the application services provided by ADCs, such as acceleration, optimization, security, and availability. F5’s certification work in interoperability helps reduce uncertainty about the consequences of IPv6 transition for application delivery services.”

The move from IPv4 to IPv6 is not one that organizations can delay much further without negative consequences. Gartner research analysts Neil Rickard and Andrew Lerner recently noted1that “the number of IPv6-connected devices is growing, and enterprises that cannot communicate with them risk financial and reputational damage.” They warn that “[by] 2015, organizations that have not enabled their public Internet services to support IPv6 will suffer damage to their reputation and/or loss of revenue.”

The IPv6 Ready Logo Program from the IPv6Ready.org consortium verifies protocol implementation and validates the interoperability of IPv6 products. The Phase-2 Gold Logo award indicates that a product has successfully satisfied the strong requirements of the Phase-2 IPv6 core test coverage, which consists of approximately 450 tests. F5’s BIG-IP 10000 series appliances running TMOS® 11.3 achieved Gold Logo certification.

For compliance with the USGv6 regimen designed by NIST for achieving US Government interoperability goals, the F5 BIG-IP 10000 appliance and VIPRION® 4300 blade running TMOS 11.3 were both tested against the USGv6 Host and Router profile, a forward-looking set of RFCs published by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). This profile encompasses basic IPv6 functionality, specific requirements, and key optional capabilities for routing, security, multicasting, mobility, network management, and quality of service.

Supporting Quotes

“By obtaining the IPv6 Ready logo, we view F5 as leading and contributing to the market for delivering fully standardized and interoperable IPv6 solutions required for the smooth and professional transition to fully IPv6-enabled networks.”
Dr. Hiroshi Esaki, Professor, The University of Tokyo and Chairman of IPv6-Ready logo committee

“As the only major ADC vendor with IPv6 Ready Gold and USGv6 certifications today, F5 has established itself as a leader in the market for integration in a multi-vendor IPv6 network infrastructure.”
Dr. Shin Miyakawa, Executive Director of IPv6, NTT Communications, Japan

1 Gartner, Create the Right IPv6 Road Map for Your Organization, Neil Rickard and Andrew Lerner, 25 September 2013
 

About F5

F5 (NASDAQ: FFIV) makes apps go faster, smarter, and safer for the world’s largest businesses, service providers, governments, and consumer brands. F5 delivers cloud and security solutions that enable organizations to embrace the application infrastructure they choose without sacrificing speed and control. For more information, go to f5.com. You can also follow @f5networks on Twitter or visit us on LinkedIn and Facebook for more information about F5, its partners, and technologies.

F5 is a trademark or service mark of F5 Networks, Inc., in the U.S. and other countries. All other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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