What’s the difference between IPv4 and IPv6?

Introduction
The number of devices on networks has increased tremendously since the inception
of the internet in the 1980s. Just think about all the mobile phones in the world that
need IP addresses. Even cars have IP addresses these days to connect to the
internet. Consequently, the initial pool of available IP addresses is being consumed
faster than was expected.
Earlier, you learned that the Internet Protocol (IP) gives unique IP addresses to
network devices and that, currently, the most common address version is IPv4. This
reading focuses on the next generation of IP addresses called IPv6, and how it
compares to IPv4.
A new IP version
Several solutions were introduced to mitigate the threat of running out of IPv4
addresses. These solutions have kept IPv4 functional over the years,but ultimately
the world has run out of new IPv4 addresses to hand out.
A new IP version was needed to address this exhaustion, and Internet Protocol
version 6 (IPv6) was introduced as the new IP standard. The Internet Engineering
Task Force (IETF) designed and developed IPv6 in 1998, and it was finally adopted
as a recognized internet standard in July 2017.
IPv6 uses a 128-bit address in comparison to the 32-bit address of IPv4. That is a
significant increase in available addresses because for every additional bit, the
possibilities double. For instance, IPv4 has over 4 billion addresses. If you were to
add just 1 bit more to make it a 33-bit address, the possibilities double to 8 billion.
That’s a lot of addresses! In fact,IPv6 has approximately 7.9x10 28 times more
addresses than IPv4.
Although IPv6 has been around for some time, the transition to this new standard
has been slow and will take time. This is because IPv4 and IPv6 aren’t interoperable.
In other words, they can’t exchange and use information.
The structure of IPv6 is different from IPv4. Instead of four decimal numbers, for
example, 192.168.1.1, it uses eight groups of four hexadecimal numbers called a
hexadectet. And a colon separates each hexadectet. A full IPv6 address looks like
this:
2001:0db8:0000:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334
IPv6 addresses use hexadecimals to represent this very large address space. Using
hexadecimal takes the 128 bits in an address down to 32 digital numbers and
letters. As demonstrated in the table below, hexadecimal allows you to represent 4
bits as a single decimal number or a character.

Decimal numbers 4-bit binary number Hexadecimal numbers

0 0000 0
Decimal numbers 4-bit binary number Hexadecimal numbers

1 0001 1

2 0010 2

3 0011 3

4 0100 4

5 0101 5

6 0110 6

7 0111 7

8 1000 8

9 1001 9

10 1010 A

11 1011 B

12 1100 C

13 1101 D

14 1110 E

15 1111 F

IPv6 might seem more complicated, but it allows simplification with the following
rules:
 You can remove one or more leading zeros from any group. So 0042 can
become 42.
 You can replace consecutive sections of zeros with a double colon (::), but
this can only be used once in an address.
The shortened version of the IPv6 example is:
2001:db8::8a2e:370:7334
Notice that all the instances of 0000 are removed. However, in many cases, the
addresses can still be very long and more complicated than IPv4, which adds to the
slow transition to IPv6.

Extended IPv6 format Shortened IPv6 format

2001:0db8:0000:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334 2001:db8::8a2e:370:7334
IPv6 key functions
IPv6 has numerous functions and addresses many of IPv4’s problems, not just the
limited address space. For instance, IPv4 can get really congested and slow itself
down. IPv6 has a few features that address this issue. One of which is to prevent
broadcast traffic from running around a network.
IPv4 uses broadcast traffic to find devices on a network that no one has
communicated with yet. This is similar to shouting out someone’s name in a packed
hall. The trouble is that all other devices have to listen to the broadcast traffic,
which slows them down. IPv6 doesn’t have this type of traffic function, so there is
no annoying shouting across the hall.
Instead, IPv6 uses multicast traffic. Multicast traffic is not a new concept, and IPv4
uses it too but to a limited extent because of the small address space. It works like
this: A device only listens to multicast traffic if it has subscribed to that service, and
the rest of the devices can ignore it. It’s very much like tuning into a radio signal
you want to listen to, but you can switch it off again when you are no longer
interested. The larger address space in IPv6 allows applications to communicate
with different multicast addresses without disturbing others, thus making the
network more efficient.
On the other hand, both IPv4 and IPv6 use unicast when they know the destination
addresses; therefore, there is no need to shout out or tune in.
The last type of trafficking is anycast, and only IPv6 supports it. Anycast is an
address that can be assigned to multiple devices worldwide. In this way, several
servers with the same address can provide the same service to a network. The
clever part here is that IPv6 will deliver a request to the nearest server that
provides that service, in turn providing load-balancing functionality. Load balancing
is just like various cashiers in a shop who balance a load of customers by letting
them join the shortest available queue. Anycast does exactly the same across a
network service.
In summary, IPv6 is a more efficient protocol because it does not use broadcast
traffic on networks, which takes away a lot of the congestion in an IPv4 network.
Conclusion
After working through this reading, consider how many devices around you are
connected to the internet. It’s probably not surprising that the world ran out of IP
addresses. IPv4 was never invented for the sheer size that the internet has grown
to. And even though IT engineers have been working around the limited address
space, a new version was needed. IPv6 provides the needed expanded address
space to allow ever-increasing devices to connect to the internet. The introduction
of IPv6 also addresses other limitations caused by IPv4 with new features and
functionalities. And because the transition from IPv4 to IPv6 is ongoing, it’s vital to
understand the differences between these protocols.
Exercise: Find your IP
Introduction
You now know that all devices on a network need an IP address to communicate
with other devices. Later in this course, you will learn how to assign IP addresses to
devices. However, you first need to learn how to find out what the IP address of a
device is, which is what this exercise is all about.
Case study
Sam's office has a network; however, the devices cannot communicate at this point.
You suspect this is because the network has no IP addresses for the devices. You
need to inspect the laptops to find out if this is true. One is a Windows computer,
and the other is a MacBook. In this exercise, you will find out how to check whether
a device has an IP address by finding the IP address of your own machine
(Windows/Mac) and also how to do this on an Android and Apple device for future
reference.
Instructions
Step 1: Identify the device type (Windows/Apple/Android)
Begin by checking what machine you are using, as finding the IP address differs on
a Windows and Mac machine. If it is a Mac device, typically, an Apple logo shows
when you switch it on, and if it's a Windows machine, a Windows logo will appear.
At startup, the iPhone shows the Apple logo on the screen, while for an Android
phone, the Android logo could appear. Alternatively, the manufacturer's logo will
display.
Step 2: Identifying an IP address on a Windows computer
To find the IP address of a Windows machine, you need to launch the Command
prompt. The Command prompt is an application available in most Windows
operating systems. It's used to troubleshoot or solve certain kinds of Windows
issues. It has a black background where you can type commands that tell the
computer to perform specific tasks. Follow these steps to open the Command
prompt and get your IP address:
 1. Click the Windows Start button in the taskbar that will be at the bottom of
your screen when Windows is set to defaults. A menu that includes a search
bar will appear.
2. Type cmd in the search bar. A thumbnail for the Command prompt app
should now appear in the menu.
3. Click on the thumbnail to open the Command prompt app. An app with a
black background will load.
4. Type ipconfig in the black space and press enter.
5. You should now see your machine's IP address listed under an adaptor which
is the connection you use to connect to the network. Depending on your
machine's connection, this could be a wired or wireless adaptor.
6. Copy your IP address.
Step 3: Identifying an IP address on a Mac
To find the IP address on a Mac machine, you need to launch the Terminal app. The
Terminal app is a command line interface (CLI) for the operating system (OS) used
by Macs. Network administrators typically use the Terminal to initiate an action that
is not supported by the operating system's graphical user interface (GUI). It has a
white background where you can type commands instructing the machine to
perform specific tasks. Follow these steps to open the terminal app and get your IP
address:
1. Launch the Terminal app: Use Spotlight (press Cmd + Space, then type
"Terminal" and press Enter) to search for and open the Terminal app.
2. Find your IP address: If your Mac is connected to a wireless network (Wi-
Fi), type the command ipconfig getifaddr en0 and press Enter. If your Mac
is connected via Ethernet (a cable connecting your device to the network ),
type the command ipconfig getifaddr en1 and press Enter.
3. View the result: Your IP address should now display.
4. Copy your IP address: You can now copy your IP address for reference or
use in troubleshooting.
Step 4: Identifying an IP address on an Apple device
To find an IP address on an iPhone you will need to launch the Settings app. Follow
these steps to find the IP address on an iPhone.
1. Find and open the Settings app.
2. Tap Wi-Fi
3. Tap the information icon, a blue i next to the active Wi-Fi network, and scroll
down to display the IP address.
Step 5: Identifying an IP address on an Android device
To find an IP address on Android follow these steps.
1. Open Settings menu and tap on About phone.
2. Tap Status
3. You should now see the general information of your device, including the IP
address.
Conclusion
This exercise guided you through finding the IP address of the device you are using.
You can use this knowledge to help Sam determine if their devices have IP
addresses. As you progress through this course, you will learn how IP addresses can
be assigned and used.