In April, Asia officially ran out of Internet Protocol (IP) version 4 addresses--the computer equivalent of running out of telephone numbers. Over the next couple of years, the rest of the world will also run dry. Yet, unlike the Y2K bug that had some people convinced the sky would fall, this particular problem is generating little more than tired shrugs from IT folks. IPv4, whose addresses have 32 bits, is being replaced by a new protocol, IPv6, whose addresses are 128 bits long. While the transition to IPv6 will definitely inflict its share of problems and annoyances, the depletion of IPv4 addresses is not immediately threatening to most colleges and universities, many of which still have large pools of IPv4 addresses. Unlike the Y2K bug with its threat of a midnight meltdown, this is a problem that most IT administrators feel can be tackled gradually. Indeed, many institutions, especially smaller schools, are just starting to plan for the transition--or are planning to plan for it. But the issue facing IT departments is not that they will run out of IP addresses. Instead, they must confront two other challenges: (1) ensuring that IPv4 addresses can communicate with IPv6 addresses during the drawn-out transition period; and (2) tackling the inevitable security issues that come with the implementation of any new protocol. No one is quite sure what the future will hold on that front.