Difference between revisions of "IPv6"

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'''IPv6''' is short for "Internet Protocol Version 6". IPv6 is the "next generation" protocol designed by the [[IETF]] to replace the current version Internet Protocol, IP Version 4 ("[[IPv4]]").
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'''IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version 6)''' is the version of internet protocol which supports the 128-bit IP addresses. It has been developed as the next generation protocol to increase the 4 billion IP Addresses available and it will eventually replace the nearly exhausted [[IPv4]], which supports 32-bit address apace.<ref>[http://www.iana.org/about/glossary/ www.iana,org]</ref> IPv6 has been developed to provide advantages over the current internet protocol. It is expected to solve several network problems by eliminating the need for Network Address Translation (NAT).
  
Most of today's internet uses [[IPv4]], which is now nearly twenty years old. IPv4 has been remarkably resilient in spite of its age, but it is beginning to have problems. Most importantly, there is a growing shortage of IPv4 addresses, which are needed by all new machines added to the Internet.
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==Background==
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In January 1991, the Internet Architecture Board ([[IAB]]) recognized the possibility of future problems on the current internet protocol due to the rapid growth of the inter AS routing table and the consumption internet address space. The IAB recommended the need for additional address flexibility. Based of this recommendation, the Internet Engineering Task Force ([[IETF]]) Road Group examined the consumption of address space and the exponential growth in inter-domain routing entries and subsequently evaluated several potential next generation IP protocols such as TUBA, SIP, PIP etc.<ref>[http://www.potaroo.net/papers/2002-10-ipv6/IPv6.pdf IP Version 6 Geoff Huston]</ref>
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By September of 1993, the IETF Road Group published RFC 1519 Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR):An Address Assignment and Aggregation Strategy, which outline the outcome of the examination on the consumption of the address space. The Road Group enumerated three possible serious problems which include:<ref>[http://www.rfc-archive.org/getrfc.php?rfc=1519 RFC Archive]</ref>
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* Exhaustion of the class B network address space.
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* Growth of routing tables in Internet routers beyond the ability of current software, hardware, and people to effectively manage.
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* Eventual exhaustion of the 32-bit IP address space.
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In 1994,
  
IPv6 fixes a number of problems in IPv4, such as the limited number of available IPv4 addresses, by mean of 128 bits addresses. It also adds many improvements to IPv4 in areas such as routing and network autoconfiguration. IPv6 is expected to gradually replace IPv4, with the two coexisting for a number of years during a coexistence and transition period.
 
  
The development of IPv6 and bigger addresses bring new benefits such as:
 
 
* Easy address-autoconfiguration ("plug and play") and re-configuration
 
* Easy address-autoconfiguration ("plug and play") and re-configuration
 
* Easier address management/delegation
 
* Easier address management/delegation
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* Improved support for extensions/options
 
* Improved support for extensions/options
  
==See also==
 
* [[IP Address]]
 
* [[IPv4]]
 
  
==External Links==
 
* [http://www.ipv6.org/ IPv6.org]
 
* [http://www.ietf.org/html.charters/ipv6-charter.html IPv6 Working Group at the IETF]
 
* [http://www.ietf.org/html.charters/v6ops-charter.html IPv6 Operations Working Group at the IETF]
 
* [http://www.ipv6tf.org IPv6 Task Force]
 
* [http://www.ipv6day.org June 6th 2006 Celebratory Wiki]
 
* [http://www.ipv6-to-standard.org Final standardization steps for IPv6]
 
  
 
[[Category: Glossary]]
 
[[Category: Glossary]]

Revision as of 18:17, 21 June 2011

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IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version 6) is the version of internet protocol which supports the 128-bit IP addresses. It has been developed as the next generation protocol to increase the 4 billion IP Addresses available and it will eventually replace the nearly exhausted IPv4, which supports 32-bit address apace.[1] IPv6 has been developed to provide advantages over the current internet protocol. It is expected to solve several network problems by eliminating the need for Network Address Translation (NAT).

Background

In January 1991, the Internet Architecture Board (IAB) recognized the possibility of future problems on the current internet protocol due to the rapid growth of the inter AS routing table and the consumption internet address space. The IAB recommended the need for additional address flexibility. Based of this recommendation, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Road Group examined the consumption of address space and the exponential growth in inter-domain routing entries and subsequently evaluated several potential next generation IP protocols such as TUBA, SIP, PIP etc.[2]

By September of 1993, the IETF Road Group published RFC 1519 Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR):An Address Assignment and Aggregation Strategy, which outline the outcome of the examination on the consumption of the address space. The Road Group enumerated three possible serious problems which include:[3]

  • Exhaustion of the class B network address space.
  • Growth of routing tables in Internet routers beyond the ability of current software, hardware, and people to effectively manage.
  • Eventual exhaustion of the 32-bit IP address space.

In 1994,


  • Easy address-autoconfiguration ("plug and play") and re-configuration
  • Easier address management/delegation
  • Room for more levels of hierarchy for route aggregation
  • Built-in, strong IP-layer encryption and authentication (IPsec)
  • Ability to do end-to-end IPsec (because NATs not needed)
  • Reduced complexity, e.g., in IP header
  • Upgrade in functionalities related to multicast, mobility and QoS
  • Improved support for extensions/options