IPv6

IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6) represents the next generation IP addressing scheme designed to replace IPv4, which faces address exhaustion issues. IPv6 addresses use 128 bits compared to IPv4's 32 bits, creating an astronomically larger address space of 2^128 possible addresses. IPv6 addresses are written as eight groups of four hexadecimal digits separated by colons, such as 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334. To simplify notation, leading zeros in groups can be omitted, and one consecutive group of zeros can be replaced with a double colon (::). Key IPv6 features include: 1. Address autoconfiguration: Devices can automatically generate addresses using stateless address autoconfiguration (SLAAC) 2. No broadcast: IPv6 replaces broadcast with multicast 3. Simplified header: Streamlined for efficient processing by routers 4. Built-in IPsec: Native security capabilities 5. No need for NAT: The vast address space eliminates address translation requirements IPv6 address types include: - Global Unicast: Public addresses (starts with 2000::/3) - Link-Local: Automatically configured addresses beginning with FE80::/10 - Unique Local: Private addresses (similar to IPv4 private ranges) starting with FC00::/7 - Multicast: Group communication addresses (FF00::/8) Dual-stack implementations allow IPv4 and IPv6 to coexist during migration. Transition technologies like tunneling (encapsulating IPv6 packets within IPv4) and translation mechanisms facilitate communication between IPv4 and IPv6 networks. While IPv6 deployment has been slower than anticipated, its implementation continues to grow as IP address requirements expand with IoT devices, mobile technology, and cloud services.

IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6) represents the next generation IP addressing scheme designed to replace IPv4, which faces address exhaustion issues. IPv6 addresses use 128 bits compared to IPv4's …

Concepts covered: Addressing, Stateless Address Autoconfiguration, IPv6 Quality of Service (QoS), IPv6 Header, IPsec, IPv6 Address Assignment, Transition Mechanisms, Neighbor Discovery Protocol, Multicast, IPv6 Address Types, Routing and Route Aggregation, IPv6 Address Scope, IPv6 Subnetting