Ipv6 Overview; Ipv6 Packet Headers - Juniper ACX1000 Configuration Manual

ACX Series Universal Access Router Configuration Guide

IPv6 Overview

IPv6 Packet Headers

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IP version 6 (IPv6) is the latest version of IP. IP enables numerous nodes on different
networks to interoperate seamlessly. IP version 4 (IPv4) is currently used in intranets
and private networks, as well as the Internet. IPv6 is the successor to IPv4, and is based
for the most part on IPv4.
IPv4 has been widely deployed and used to network the Internet today. With the rapid
growth of the Internet, enhancements to IPv4 are needed to support the influx of new
subscribers, Internet-enabled devices, and applications. IPv6 is designed to enable the
global expansion of the Internet.
IPv6 builds upon the functionality of IPv4, providing improvements to addressing,
configuration and maintenance, and security.
IPv6 offers the following benefits:
Expanded addressing capabilities—IPv6 provides a larger address space. IPv6 addresses
consist of 128 bits, while IPv4 addresses consist of 32 bits. 128-bit addressing increases
the address space by approximately 1029 unique addresses, enough to last for the
forseeable future.
Header format simplification—IPv6 packet header format is designed to be efficient.
IPv6 standardizes the size of the packet header to 40 bytes, divided into 8 fields.
Improved support for extensions and options—Extension headers carry Internet-layer
information and have a standard size and structure.
Flow labeling capability—Flow labels provide consistent handling of packets belonging
to the same flow.
Improved privacy and security—IPv6 supports extensions for authentication and data
integrity, which enhance privacy and security.
This section discusses the following topics:
IPv6 Packet Headers on page 530
IPv6 Addressing on page 531
IPv6 headers are different from IPv4 headers.
This section discusses the following topics that provide background information about
IPv6 headers:
Header Structure on page 531
Extension Headers on page 531
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