The number of IPv4 address numbers is dwindling quickly, forcing the IT world to start moving to IPv6-compliant networking standards. Parallels is taking a proactive approach to IPv6 adoption with its latest version of Plesk Panel, which Parallels claims is the world’s only control panel to support the coming IPv6 standard. Read on for some channel perspective …

For the uninitiated, Parallels Plesk 10.2 is a smörgåsbord of services and technologies. Billed as a “[a]n easy … complete server automation solution,” Plesk can be many things to many people. It allows a web host to provider to offer turnkey solutions; it helps web designers easily add web apps and services; it can help IT professionals easily launch sites; and it allows Parallels partners to expand their value-added offerings at a lower point of entry.

Obviously, partners working with Parallels now have a newly refreshed tool up their sleeve. Parallels Plesk Panel 10.2 promises to help deliver cloud services in the upcoming IPv6 Internet world with ease. Version 10.2 also brings social networking tools and offers a lower resource footprint in virtualized environments. But the standout features are an alleged 2x lower resource use in virtualized environments and Server Name Indication (SNI), which will preserve IPv4 addresses in the existing network environment while making the move to IPv6.

Right now, Plesk 10.2 is in beta, but is on track for an April 2011 release with complete support on Linux and Windows. Parallels is focusing on the ‘Sitebuilder’ tool within Plesk 10.2, which helps builders import video while connecting Twitter and Facebook pages into the main content of a web page. Parallels added the social networking capabilities to this Plesk release based on the findings of a recent Parallels survey claiming that 54 percent of SMBs that have a website also have a Facebook page. The company wants to capture some of those “web-savvy” SMBs while simultaneously pulling in other SMBs that haven’t jumped on board.

The deep tech specs of Parallels Plesk Panel 10.2 are available in the press release. Meanwhile, we’ll be on the lookout for more IPv6 news.

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