Dell Force10 C150 Configuration Manual page 489

• 2001:0db8:0000:0000:0000:0000:1428:57ab
• 2001:0db8:0000:0000:0000::1428:57ab
• 2001:0db8:0:0:0:0:1428:57ab
• 2001:0db8:0:0::1428:57ab
• 2001:0db8::1428:57ab
• 2001:db8::1428:57ab
IPv6 networks are written using Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR) notation. An IPv6 network (or
subnet) is a contiguous group of IPv6 addresses the size of which must be a power of two; the initial bits of
addresses, which are identical for all hosts in the network, are called the network's prefix.
A network is denoted by the first address in the network and the size in bits of the prefix (in decimal),
separated with a slash. Since a single host is seen as a network with a 128-bit prefix, host addresses may be
written with a following /128.
For example, 2001:0db8:1234::/48 stands for the network with addresses
2001:0db8:1234:0000:0000:0000:0000:0000 through 2001:0db8:1234:ffff:ffff:ffff:ffff:ffff
Link-local Addresses
Link-local addresses, starting with fe80:, are assigned only in the local link area. The addresses are
generated usually automatically by the operating system's IP layer for each network interface. This
provides instant automatic network connectivity for any IPv6 host and means that if several hosts connect
to a common hub or switch, they have an instant communication path via their link-local IPv6 address. .
Link-local addresses cannot be routed to the public Internet.
Static and Dynamic Addressing
Static IP addresses are manually assigned to a computer by an administrator. Dynamic IP addresses are
assigned either randomly or by a server using Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). Even though
IP addresses assigned using DHCP may stay the same for long periods of time, they can change. In some
cases, a network administrator may implement dynamically assigned static IP addresses. In this case, a
DHCP server is used, but it is specifically configured to always assign the same IP address to a particular
computer, and never to assign that IP address to another computer. This allows static IP addresses to be
configured in one place, without having to specifically configure each computer on the network in a
different way.
In IPv6, every interface, whether using static or dynamic address assignments, also receives a local-link
address automatically in the fe80::/64 subnet.
IPv6 Addressing | 489