You are a well-known expert in the design and security of corporate network infrastructures.

You are a well-known expert in the design and security of corporate network infrastructures. As such, Z Corporation, Inc. (ZCorp) has contacted you and is requesting a proposal for a network infrastructure integration design.

ZCorp is a global financial institution that intends to add Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) to its existing network. The headquarters of ZCorp is in Denver, CO and it also has main offices in Sydney, Australia, Vienna, Austria, Tokyo, Japan, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Local routers are providing network services such as Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), network address translation (NAT), and Domain Name System (DNS). It is using Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP) as its interior gateway protocol and Exterior Gateway Protocol (EGP) as its exterior gateway protocol. Its wide area network (WAN) involves multiple T3 connections and the use of Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM). It is unclear to the ZCorp information technology (IT) staff whether they should replace Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) with IPv6 or use both versions of IP (dual-stack operation).

Your mission is to prepare a proposal document that makes a recommendation for either replacing IPv4 with IPv6 or using both version of IP. This recommendation must be supported and explained in detail. Research IPv4 and IPv6 to understand differences, benefits, and challenges. Seek information regarding LANs implementing dual protocol stacks. Make a recommendation for a) replacing IPv4 with IPv6; b) using IPv4 and IPv6 together (dual-stack operation). Support your recommendation.

Your proposal should specify a phased approach for your recommendation. You should include the following considerations in your document:

Benefits of implementing IPv6, especially in the area of security

Potential issues and concerns with IPv6

Whether or not to continue the use of network services with IPv6

Necessary changes to existing hardware with IPv6

Other resource factors

High level set of steps to implement your recommendation including IP addressing scheme