IPv6

Addressing
Presented By,

Rafiqul Islam
Senior Engineer
Broadband Service Delivery and Operation
Technology & Operations
Content

IPv6 Overview of
IPv6 Address Special Unicast Global Unicast
Addressing IPv6 Address
Representation Addresses Addresses
Model Types

IPv6 Link-local Unique Local IPv6

Modified EUI-
Addressing Unicast Unicast Addressing
64 format
Structure Addresses Addresses EUI-64

Well-known What is a
IPv6 Address
Multicast IPv6 Subnetting nibble
Planning
Addresses boundary?

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IPv6 Address Representation
IPv6 address is 128 bits

Number of IPv6 addresses : 2^128 ~ 3.4 x 1038

IPv6 address is represented in hexadecimal

• 4-bits (nibble) represent a hexadecimal digit

• 4 nibbles (16-bits) make a hextet
• represented as eight hextets (4 nibbles or 16 bits), each separated by a
colon (:)

2001:db8:1234::8DC0:A910 nibble

1010 1001 0001 0000

Hextet

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 IPv6 Address Representation
2001:0DB8:0000:0000:0000:036E:1250:2B00

• Abbreviated form

2001:0DB8:0000:0000:0000:036E:1250:2B00 Leading 0s

– Leading zeroes (0) in any hextet can be omitted

2001:DB8:0:0:0:36E:1250:2B00 Sequence of 0s

– A double colon (::) can replace contiguous hextet

segments of zeroes
2001:DB8::36E:1250:2B00 Double colons

– (::) can only be used once!

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IPv6 Address Representation
Double colons (::) representation
• RFC5952 recommends that the largest set of :0: be replaced with :: for
consistency
• 2001:0:0:0:2F:0:0:5
• 2001::2F:0:0:5 instead of 2001:0:0:0:2F::5
• Where there is same number of :0:, the first set be replaced with ::
• 2001:DB8:0:0:2F:0:0:5

2001:DB8::2F:0:0:5 instead of 2001:DB8:0:0:2F::5

Prefix Representation
• Representation of prefix is similar to IPv4 CIDR

→ prefix/prefix-length IPv4: 10.0.0.0 255.0.0.0

2001:DB8::/40 10.0.0.0/8

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 IPv6 Addressing Model
• Unicast Address
– Assigned to a single interface
B
– Packet sent only to the interface with that address
A
B
• Anycast Address
– Same address assigned to more than one interface B
(on different nodes)
– Packet for an anycast address routed to the nearest A
interface (routing distance) B

• Multicast Address
– group of interfaces (on different nodes) join a
multicast group B
– A multicast address identifies the interface group
– Packet sent to the multicast address is replicated to A
all interfaces in the group

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 Overview of IPv6 Address Types
IPv6 Addressing

Unicast Anycast Multicast

Assigned Solicited Node

ff00::/8 ff02::1:ff00:0000/104

Unspecified Embedded Unique Local

Loopback Global Unicast Link-Local
Address IPv4
::/128 ::1/128 ::/80 2000::/3 fe80::/10 fc00::/7
Special • Unspecified Address (absence of an
address)

Unicast • ::/128

Addresses • Loopback (test OSI/TCP-IP stack

implementation)
• ::1/128

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 Globally unique and routable IPv6
address

Global
Unicast
The Internet Assigned Numbers
Authority (IANA) currently assigns IPv6
addresses only out of the binary range
starting with 001, that means 2000::/3.

Addresses
IANA has allocated Global Unicast
Addresses to RIRs (Regional Internet
Registry). There are five RIRs. For
example, APNIC has been allocated
2400::/12.
 IPv6 Addressing Structure
Network Prefix

Customer(Site) Prefix Subnet ID Interface ID

48 bits 16 bits 64 bits

Customer (Site) Prefix: • Group of subnets

assigned to a customer site • ISPs/RIRs ‘would’ assign /48 (/56 to customers)

Subnet ID: identifies the

subnets (links) within a site

Interface ID: host portion of

the IPv6 address
• how many hosts within a subnet

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IPv6 Addressing Structure
0 63 64 127
Network Prefix Interface ID

32
16

16
ISP /32
64
C ustomer Site /48
End Site Subnet /64 Device 128 BitAddress
Link-local Unicast Addresses

• Auto configured address (similar to APIPA)

• Every IPv6 enabled device must have a link-local address
• To communicate with other IPv6 devices on the same link
• – FE80::/10

• The link-local address is used by routers as the next-hop address when forwarding IPv6
packets

• All IPv6 hosts on a subnet/link, use the router’s link-local as the default gateway
• Routers use the link-local as the source in ND-RA messages

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Unique Local Unicast Addresses
• Similar to RFC1918 addresses (but within a “site”)
– Unique within a site
– Routable within site(s)
– Not ‘expected’ to be routed on the internet

FC00::/7

| 7 bits | 1 | 40 bits | 16 bits. | 64 bits |

+ + + + + +
| Prefix | L | Global ID | Subnet ID | Interface ID. |
+ + + + + +

L: 1 for local significance

Global ID: 40-bit pseudo-random

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 Modified EUI-64 format
• Allows IPv6 device to compute a
unique 64 bit Interface ID using
the interface MAC address (48 bit)
OUI NIC

– MAC address is split into two 24 bit

halves 00 21 2F 10 A2 48

• OUI and NIC

– Then 0xFFFE is inserted between the

two halves 00 21 2F FF FE 10 A2 48
• 0xFFFE is reserved value, not assigned to any
OEM
0000 0000
– Invert 7th
bit (U/L) of the OUI to get 0000 0010
the EUI-64 address
• addresses assigned to OEMs have this bit set
to 0 to indicate global uniqueness 02 21 2F FF FE 10 A2 48
• Set to 1 (invert 0) to indicate IEEE identifier
(MAC( is used, or 0 if otherwise
(serials/tunnels).

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 IPv6 Addressing EUI-64
LAN: 2001:db8:213:1::/64

Eth0

interface Ethernet0
ipv6 address 2001:db8:213:1::/64 eui-64 MAC address: 0060.3e47.1530

router# show ipv6 interface Ethernet0

Ethernet0 is up, line protocol is up
IPv6 is enabled, link-local address is FE80::260:3EFF:FE47:1530
Global unicast address(es):
2001:db8:213:1:260:3EFF:FE47:1530, subnet is 2001:db8:213:1::/64
Joined group address(es):
FF02::1:FF47:1530
FF02::1
FF02::2
MTU is 1500 bytes
Well-known Multicast Addresses

• Multicast addresses can only be destinations and never a source

• FF00::/8
• Pre-defined multicast addresses:
• FF02::1 All nodes multicast
• All IPv6 enabled devices join this multicast group
• Packets sent to this address is received by all nodes

• FF02::2 All routers multicast

• The moment IPv6 is enabled on a router (#ipv6 unicast-routing), the router becomes a member of this group

• FF02::1:FFXX:XXXX/104 Solicited Node multicast

• NS messages (~ARP request) are sent to this address
• Uses the least significant 24-bits of its unicast/anycast address
• Must compute and join for every unicast (link-local & global) on an interface

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Well-known Multicast Addresses

• Pre-defined multicast addresses:

• FF02::1:2 All DHCP Servers/Relay Agents

• Clients use this multicast address to discover any DHCPv6
servers/relays on the local link (link-scoped)

• FF05::1:3 All DHCP servers

• Generally used by Relays to talk to servers
• Site-scoped
• Provider A has been allocated

2001:DB8::/32

o will delegate /48 blocks to its customers

IPv6 Subnetting
Q. Find the blocks provided to the first 4 customers

v1.0
IPv6 Subnetting
Original block: 2001:0DB8::/32
This is your
Rewrite as a /48 block: 2001:0DB8:0000::/48 network prefix!

How many /48 blocks are there in a /32?

2^16 = 65536
Find only the first 4 /48 blocks…

v1.0
IPv6 Subnetting
Start by manipulating the LSB of your
network prefix – write in bits
2001:0DB8:0000::/48
In bits

2001:0DB8: 0000 0000 0000 ::/48 2001:0DB8:0000::/48

0000
2001:0DB8: 0000 0000 0000 ::/48 2001:0DB8:0001::/48
0001
2001:0DB8: 0000 0000 0000 ::/48 2001:0DB8:0002::/48
0010
2001:0DB8: 0000 0000 0000 ::/48 2001:0DB8:0003::/48
0011

Then write back into hex digits

v1.0
What is a nibble boundary?

In the context of IPv6, the nibble boundary refers to 4 bits. Any change in multiples of 4 bits is easy to calculate.

For example, we have an allocation: 2001:db8::/32. Taking slices from this pool within a 4-bit boundary is quite
easy.

/36 slices (1 x 4 bits) /40 slices (2 x 4 bits) /44 slices (3 x 4 bits) /48 slices (4 x 4 bits)
2001:db8:0000::/36 2001:db8:0000::/40 2001:db8:0000::/44 2001:db8:0000::/48
2001:db8:1000::/36 2001:db8:0100::/40 2001:db8:0010::/44 2001:db8:0001::/48
2001:db8:2000::/36 2001:db8:0200::/40 2001:db8:0020::/44 2001:db8:0002::/48
2001:db8:3000::/36 2001:db8:0300::/40 2001:db8:0030::/44 2001:db8:0003::/48
…. …. …. ….

v1.0
 IPv6 Address Planning
• Network Operators normally are allocated /32 by RIRs
/12
APNIC Allocation

Member Allocation /32

• Global Routing prefix /48

o /48, /52, /56… (ISPs to end site)

o upstream could filter anything smaller

o Consider the routing table size!

v1.0
IPv6 Address Planning Considerations
• Shift in thought:
o IPv4: number of hosts 

o For example, 5 hosts -> 7 addresses -> /29

o IPv6: number of subnets!

o For example,

one VLAN -> one subnet -> one /64

v1.0
 THANK YOU
Any Question?

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