I've heard many speak of the "end of days" for IPv4 and calling for IPv6. Many who make such calls want technology to move forward because they are well meaning and good engineers that know IPv6 is a better platform from many different perspectives. One thing though that we engineers tend to forget is who we work for. Engineers solve problems "the others" create for us because of something they need or want to do. I have not seen too many engineers in charge of marketing departments or CEO's.
Thus choices about network topology and protocols are constained by the needs of "the others" who we look down upon as slightly more functional than a village idiot. However we need to remember two things; 1) those to whom we serve need us as much as we need them, and 2) business will always drive us and as much as we want to migrate to better standards the users (stupid folks) don't care how the packet gets there as long as it does.
NATs solved the immediate problems of IP address space limitations but still left the transport wide open from a vulnerability perspective. So is IPv4 an undead zombi corps that just hasn't walked into the path of the tractor trailer speeding down the highway? Do we as security folk need to start getting ready now and head back to school again?
