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About IPv6

IPv6 is the new version of the Internet Protocol (Internet Protocol version 6). It will progressively replace IPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4), the Internet protocol being used now, extending the current addressing space, which became insufficient to accommodate the present growth rate of the network.

The new addresses are 128 bits long (against the 32 bits of IPv4), permitting a huge increase in the number of hosts. Among the characteristics of IPv6, we may cite:

• 128 bits of addressing space;
• better-structured addressing architecture;
• support for jumbo datagrams (IPv4 only holds 64 Kbytes in the package size);
• mobility;
• plug-and-play configuration (stateless address config);
• security mechanisms, including encrypting and authentication;
• support for multicasting and anycasting; and
• support to real-time multimedia applications.

Although IPv6 native piles cannot inter-operate directly with IPv4 piles, mechanisms of IPv4 compatibility were introduced in IPv6 so as to ensure an easier transition.