Technology administrators meeting at the SAGE-AU 2008 conference in Adelaide will discover how to extract a "green dividend" through the more efficient deployment of computer networks and systems.

The two-day conference, preceded by three days of technical tutorials, will have a major focus on green computing and sustainability, including server virtualisation, which delivers greater computing power while reducing the carbon impact by producing less heat and consuming less energy.

A keynote speaker is Leonard Cohen, the founder of the Australian Carbon Biosequestration Initiative, who will talk about the cost of embedded and recurrent energy in computing technology.

To emphasise the green theme, the conference has achieved CO2-neutral status by buying carbon credits to offset the environmental impact of the event. Also, each delegate will receive a CarbonZero Green Gift pack containing a Golden Wattle seedling and planting guide; a carbon credit certificate for the conference; brochures from Canopy and Greening Australia and a magnet or pen.

SAGE-AU is a not-for-profit professional organisation representing system administrators in Australia. System administrators are the technology wizards who keep computers working for the rest of the world. In its simplest form, system administration ensures the reliability of computer systems for end users, but includes the art of system recovery when the worst does happen.

SAGE.AU President Donna Ashelford said conference delegates would learn how to deliver a "green dividend" to their organisations. "As well as a benefit to society, green computing provides a direct return to the business," she said.

JOHN HARRIS wonders how he changed from cyber trailblaizer to technical timidity.

In an Australian first, broadband innovator Internode today becomes the first national ISP to give customers direct access to the future by offering Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) as part of its standard service.

IPv6 is the next generation Internet Protocol that offers a vast number of new, longer IP addresses to overcome a looming shortage of the current IPv4 addresses, as the world approaches the ultimate exhaustion of IPv4 address space.

By releasing IPv6 services to its customer base, Internode has become the first Australian ISP to offer native IPv6 services nationally, according to the 'sixxs.net' web site (details at http://www.sixxs.net/faq/connectivity/?faq=ipv6transit )

Internode operates a native IPv6 network, spanning Australia and its international Points of Presence in the US and Japan. Internode's routers are running in 'dual stack' mode, allowing it to offer concurrent IPv4 and IPv6 services to its customers.

Internode managing director Simon Hackett said the decision to offer public access to IPv6 was part of "future-proofing" its customers' networks. "The Internet is approaching an address crunch point in the next few years," he said.

Broadband product specialist Billion is now shipping its latest routers, the Billion BiPAC 7402NX, which provides draft 802.11n wireless and 1Gb LAN support as well as 3G and ADSL2+ capabilities.

The Billion BiPAC 7402NX, with a $499 RRP, is available through the national reseller network managed by Billion's Australian distributor PC Range. Product images for the BiPAC 7402NX can be downloaded from http://www.impress.com.au/content/view/259/67.

The BiPAC 7402NX is a Virtual Private Network (VPN) firewall router that can communicate via both wired and wireless Wide Area Networks (WANs). In wired mode, it uses an ADSL2+ broadband service over a copper telephone line, but if that link is disrupted, the 7402NX can stay online wirelessly through automatic failover to a 3G mobile telephone network.

Broadband product specialist Billion is now shipping its latest routers, the Billion BiPAC 7402NX, which provides draft 802.11n wireless and 1Gb LAN support as well as 3G and ADSL2+ capabilities.

The Billion BiPAC 7402NX, with a $499 RRP, is available through the national reseller network managed by Billion's Australian distributor PC Range. Product images for the BiPAC 7402NX can be downloaded from http://www.impress.com.au/content/view/259/67.

The BiPAC 7402NX is a Virtual Private Network (VPN) firewall router that can communicate via both wired and wireless Wide Area Networks (WANs). In wired mode, it uses an ADSL2+ broadband service over a copper telephone line, but if that link is disrupted, the 7402NX can stay online wirelessly through automatic failover to a 3G mobile telephone network.