IPv6 Address Infrastructure

In the network, we all know that there are currently two versions, one is IPv4 and the other is IPv6. Different from the IPv6 protocol addresses of traditional networks, IPv6 supports a wider IP address space. But why? Now let's talk about the IPv6 address format.

The IPv6 Protocol address is 128 bits.

The preferred IPv6 address is: xxxx. Each x represents a 4-digit hexadecimal number. The IPv6 address range is from 0000: 0000: 0000: 0000: 0000: 0000: 0000 to ffff: ffff.

IPv4 addresses are composed of 32-bit binary codes. The format is xxx. xxx, where x represents a three-digit binary number.

In addition to the preferred format, the IPv6 address can be specified in two other short formats:

Omitted leading zero

The IPv6 Protocol address is specified by omitting the leading zero. For example, IPv6 address 1050: 0000: 0000: 0000: 0005: 0600: 300c: 326b can be written as 1050: 0: 0: 0: 5: 600: 300c: 326b.

Double colon

Use the double Colon: :) instead of a series of zeros to specify IPv6 addresses. For example, the IPv6 address ff06: 0: 0: 0: 0: 0: c3 can be written as ff06: c3. Only one double colon can be used in an IP address.

An optional format of an IPv6 address combines a colon with a dot notation. Therefore, an IPv4 address can be embedded into an IPv6 address. Specify the hexadecimal value for 96 digits on the leftmost side and the decimal value for 32 digits on the rightmost side to indicate the embedded IPv4 address. When working in a hybrid network environment, this format ensures compatibility between IPv6 nodes and IPv4 nodes.

The two types of IPv6 addresses use this optional format:

IPv6 address mapped through IPv4

This type of address is used to represent an IPv4 node as an IPv6 address. It allows IPv6 applications to communicate directly with IPv4 applications. For example, 0: 0: 0: 0: 0: ffff: 192.1.56.10 and: ffff: 192.1.56.10/96 short format ).

IPv6 Protocol address compatible with IPv4

This type of address is used for tunneling. It allows IPv6 nodes to communicate with each other through the IPv4 infrastructure. For example, 0: 0: 0: 0: 0: 0: 192.1.56.10 and: 192.1.56.10/96 short format ).

All these formats are valid IPv6 address formats. Specify any of these IPv6 address formats in the iSeries navigator.