Check Point, Sun Prove IPv6 Integration

Enterprise Networks & Servers, Jan 2004

Check Point Software Technologies and Sun Microsystems have participated in and completed interoperability testing, providing the only Internet security solution for multiple test sites in North America's largest real world demonstration of the next generation Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6).

Prompted by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)-mandated transition to IPv6 by 2008 for all inter- and intra-networking, the "Moonvo" test project, run in conjunction with the University of New Hampshire Interoperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL), was designed to promote adoption of the new IPv6 protocol.

Check Point Next Generation with Application Intelligence was powered by the latest generation Sun UltraSPARC system running Solaris 9, the Unix operating system for security solutions. Check Point and Sun Microsystems solutions interoperated with more than 30 networking solutions, including switches, routers, applications and operating systems, to validate the performance and interoperability of next-generation IPv6 networking hardware and software under realistic network conditions.

"With hackers continuing to exploit network vulnerabilities, Internet security is critical for secure, seamless migration to IPv6," said Ben Schultz, UNH-IOL managing engineer and UNH-IOL technical team leader for Moonvo. "The 30 organizations that participated in the Moonvo project have demonstrated their commitment to providing solutions that comply with the DoD's government directive."

Today's Internet runs on Internet Protocol Version 4 (IPv4). Due to the growing shortage of the IP network addresses needed by all new machines added to the Internet, the U.S. DoD has planned to transition from IPv4 to IPv6 by 2008.

The Moonv6 project was formed to promote IPv6 throughout the industry through a two-phased demonstration designed to validate the security, performance and interoperability of IPv6 networking hardware and software under realistic network conditions. Check Point has successfully completed the first phase of this demonstration; the second phase is scheduled to begin in February 2004.

Taking place across the US. at multiple locations, the Moonvo project represents the most aggressive collaborative IPv6 interoperability and application demonstration event in the North American market to date. For more information, visit the organization's Web site at www.moonv6.org.