IPv6
History
Based on IPv4
Development initiated in 1994
Timeline of Major Events
Basic protocol published in 1998 (RFC 2640)
DHCPv6 published in 2003 (RFC 3315)
Mobile IPv6 (RFC 3775) and Flow Label
specifications (RFC 3697) published in 2004
Address architecture (RFC 4291) and node
requirements (RFC 4294) published in 2006
The Need for IPv6
IPv4 vs IPv6
Address space
End-to-End Connectivity
Ease of configuration
Security concerns
QoS
Address Space
IPv4
Uses 32-bit IP address
Allows for about 4 billion IP addresses
Not a concern in the 1970’s
IPv6
Uses 128-bit IP address
Allows for 3.4 x 1038 IP addresses
Auto-Configuration
IPv6 auto-configuration
Stateless auto-configuration
Allows for plug-and-play
Stateful auto-configuration uses DHCPv6
End-to-End Connectivity
IPv4 utilizes NAT
NAT interferes with QoS and IPSec
Header Structure
IPv4 packet header is made up of 20 bytes
IPv6 packet header is made up of 40 bytes
All unnecessary fields moved to extension header
Most IPv6 packets don’t use extension header
Quality of Service
Measure of how fast and reliably data is sent
and received
Limited by NAT
IPv6 header has Flow Label Field
Flow Label Field
Allows for all packets of a certain ‘flow’ to be
handled the same way
Flow: “A sequence of packets sent from a
particular source to a particular (unicast or
multicast) destination for which the source
desires special handling by the intervening
routers.”
Flow Label Field
Flow labels can be a value from 1 to FFFFF
hex and are assigned at the source node
Not all routers support the functions of the
Flow Control Label
Security
IPSec for IPv6
Authentication Header
Encapsulating Security Payload
Authentication Header
•Acryptographic hash-based message
authentication code stored as a header
between the IP header and the payload
Encapsulating Security
Payload
Surrounds the payload with a header and a
trailer
Algorithm and key specified in the Security
Association
Determined by partner IP address, IPSec
protocol (AH or ESP), and Security
Parameters Index
Auto Industry
IPv6 implemented in European auto industry
Hope for smarter infratructure
Implementation
Tunneling
Dual-Stacking
Tunneling
Allows IPv6 systems to communicate with
other IPv6 systems over an IPv4 backbone
Encapsulation of IPv6 packet inside an IPv4
packet
Quick fix
Dual-Stacking
Allows for both IPv4 and IPv6 packets to be
sent over the same network
All routers have to be able to handle IPv6
packets
Better for long-term
The following table lists the important differences between IPv4 and IPv6.
IPv4 IPv6
IPv4 addresses are 32 bit length. IPv6 addresses are 128 bit length.
IPv6 addresses binary numbers represented in
IPv4 addresses binary numbers represented in decimals.
hexadecimals.
IPSec support is only optional. Inbuilt IPSec support.
Fragmentation is done by sender and forwarding routers. Fragmentation is done only by sender.
Packet flow identification is available within the IPv6
No packet flow identification.
header using the Flow Label field.
Checksum field is available in IPv4 header No checksum field in IPv6 header.
Options fields are available in IPv4 header. No option fields, but IPv6 Extension headers are available.
Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) is available to map IPv4 Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) is replaced with
addresses to MAC addresses. Neighbor Discovery Protocol.
Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) is used to manage IGMP is replaced with Multicast Listener Discovery (MLD)
multicast group membership. messages.
Broadcast messages are not available. Instead a link-local
Broadcast messages are available.
scope all-nodes multicast address is used for broadcast.
Manual configuration (Static) of IPv4 addresses or DHCP
(Dynamic configuration) is required to configure IPv4 Auto-configuration of addresses is available.
addresses.
