Get ready for the biggest geek party since Pi day. On June 8, more than a hundred organizations, including Google, Akamai, and Facebook, will jettison the aging Internet Protocol 4 and take the more robust IPv6 standard out for a one-day test-drive. (IPv5 never caught on.) It's the most exciting thing to happen to servers since Y2K! But this special occasion shouldn't be limited to those who own rackspace. Here's what you can do to ring in the new protocol.
HOW TO CELEBRATE WORLD IPv6 DAY
- Bake a Cake
Serve a cake shaped like Vint Cerf and Bob Khan, who saddled us with the IPv4 standard in '73. Slicing them up and eating them is the perfect way to say thanks for all the address-space exhaustion, jerks! Decorate the cake with 128 candles—one for each bit that IPv6 accommodates. - Deck the Halls
Festoon your office with bright orange streamers: The hex value for that color is #FE8010, reminiscent of FE80::/10—which is the reserve address space for IPv6. Prank anyone not wearing this perfect-for-the-holiday hue by replacing their Star Wars cubicle tchotchkes with My Little Pony dolls (or vice versa). - Exchange Gifts
OK: Everyone store a single mystery file on a memory stick and throw it into a hat. Then each person draws one. Griefing is encouraged, within limits—a Rick Astley MP3 is cool, but a Rebecca Black MP3 is going too far. Best gift-giver goes first in Pin the Datagram on the Serverport. - Send a Card
Hallmark has no themed cards for this holiday. Print your own with heartfelt sentiments like "I'm Routing for You" or "I Hope These Warmest Holiday Wishes Make It Through Your Firewall." Then go to bed early so you can see what the Streaming Pr0n Fairy leaves under your pillow.
Listen to the World IPv6 Day song:
https://www.wired.com/images_blogs/magazine/2011/06/Prancing_Packets_R2.ogg
https://www.wired.com/images_blogs/magazine/2011/06/Prancing_Packets_R2.mp3
Audio Engineer: Victor Krummenacher Singers: Joanna Pearlstein, Josh Strom, Mark Robinson, Bess Kalb, Rina Kushnir
