The Difference Between IPv6 and IPv4?

Confused by phrases like Internet Protocol (IP), IPv6, IPv4 and IPng? Webopedia explains the difference between IPv4 and IPv6, and looks at the topic of migrating to a 128-bit address space.
What is Internet Protocol -- IP?

IP (short for Internet Protocol) specifies the technical format of packets and the addressing scheme for computers to communicate over a network. Most networks combine IP with a higher-level protocol called Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), which establishes a virtual connection between a destination and a source.
IP by itself can be compared to something like the postal system. It allows you to address a package and drop it in the system, but there's no direct link between you and the recipient. TCP/IP, on the other hand, establishes a connection between two hosts so that they can send messages back and forth for a period of time.
There are currently two version of Internet Protocol (IP): IPv4 and a new version called IPv6. IPv6 is an evolutionary upgrade to the Internet Protocol. IPv6 will coexist with the older IPv4 for some time.
 
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VeriSign to Operate .GOV Domain Name Registry

VeriSign, Inc. has been selected by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) to operate the nation's mission-critical domain name Registry for .GOV.
VeriSign, Inc., a provider of internet infrastructure services, yesterday announced that it has been selected by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) to operate the nation's mission-critical domain name Registry for .GOV.

It articulates that following a competitive RFP and evaluation process, the GSA granted it the authority to provide designated domain name registration services to federal, state and local governments operating sites under the .GOV and FED.US domain names. The services include processing requests, help desk assistance and operation of the authoritative .GOV Domain Name System (DNS) servers. It also will support the implementation of DNS Security Extensions (DNSSEC) on .GOV and FED.US.

The company explains that from federal organizations like Congress and the Federal Bureau of Investigations to state and county governments and small municipalities, .GOV is the Registry of choice for the vast majority of government domains. In addition, agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service (FS.FED.US) and U.S. District Court in New Mexico (NMCOURT.FED.US) rely on the FED.US Registry to reliably serve many more sites and the citizens who visit them.

It says that in making its selection, the GSA determined the company readily addressed all of the items it identified as essential for operating the .GOV domain name Registry. These included:

• Designing and operating a Registry infrastructure capable of scaling to meet the needs of the GSA, while maintaining best-in-class reliability and accessibility
• Operating a network infrastructure that supports both Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) and Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6)
• Full support of DNSSEC
• Unmatched security and stability