Module 12: IPv6 Addressing

Module Objectives
Module Title: IPv6 Addressing

Module Objective: Implement an IPv6 Addressing scheme.

Topic Title Topic Objective

Explain the need for IPv6 addressing.

IPv4 Issues

Explain how IPv6 addresses are represented.

IPv6 Address Representation

Compare types of IPv6 network addresses.

IPv6 Address Types

Explain how to Configure static global unicast and link-local

GUA and LLA Static Configuration
IPv6 network addresses.
Explain how to configure global unicast addresses
Dynamic Addressing for IPv6 GUAs
dynamically.

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Module Objectives (Cont.)
Module Title: IPv6 Addressing

Module Objective: Implement an IPv6 Addressing scheme.

Topic Title Topic Objective

Dynamic Addressing for IPv6 LLAs Configure link-local addresses dynamically.

IPv6 Multicast Addresses Identify IPv6 addresses.

Subnet an IPv6 Network Implement a subnetted IPv6 addressing scheme.

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12.1 IPv4 Issues

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IPv4 Issues
Need for IPv6

• IPv4 is running out of addresses. IPv6

is the successor to IPv4. IPv6 has a
much larger 128-bit address space.
• The development of IPv6 also included
fixes for IPv4 limitations and other
enhancements.
• With an increasing internet population,
a limited IPv4 address space, issues
with NAT and the IoT, the time has
come to begin the transition to IPv6.

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IPv4 Issues
IPv4 and IPv6 Coexistence
Both IPv4 and IPv6 will coexist in the near future and the transition will take several
years.
The IETF has created various protocols and tools to help network administrators
migrate their networks to IPv6. These migration techniques can be divided into three
categories:
• Dual stack -The devices run both IPv4 and IPv6 protocol stacks simultaneously.
• Tunneling – A method of transporting an IPv6 packet over an IPv4 network. The IPv6 packet
is encapsulated inside an IPv4 packet.
• Translation - Network Address Translation 64 (NAT64) allows IPv6-enabled devices to
communicate with IPv4-enabled devices using a translation technique similar to NAT for
IPv4.

Note: Tunneling and translation are for transitioning to native IPv6 and should only be used where
needed. The goal should be native IPv6 communications from source to destination.

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12.2 IPv6 Address
Representation

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IPv6 Address Representation
IPv6 Addressing Formats
• IPv6 addresses are 128 bits in length and written in hexadecimal.
• IPv6 addresses are not case-sensitive and can be written in either lowercase or
uppercase.
• The preferred format for writing an IPv6 address is x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x, with each “x”
consisting of four hexadecimal values.
• In IPv6, a hextet is the unofficial term used to refer to a segment of 16 bits, or four
hexadecimal values.
• Examples of IPv6 addresses in the preferred format:
2001:0db8:0000:1111:0000:0000:0000:0200
2001:0db8:0000:00a3:abcd:0000:0000:1234

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IPv6 Address Representation
Rule 1 – Omit Leading Zero
The first rule to help reduce the notation of IPv6 addresses is to omit any leading 0s
(zeros).
Examples:
• 01ab can be represented as 1ab
• 09f0 can be represented as 9f0
• 0a00 can be represented as a00
• 00ab can be represented as ab

Note: This rule only applies to leading 0s, NOT to trailing 0s, otherwise the address
would be ambiguous.

Type Format
Preferred 2001 : 0db8 : 0000 : 1111 : 0000 : 0000 : 0000 : 0200
No leading zeros 2001 : db8 : 0 : 1111 : 0 : 0 : 0 : 200

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IPv6 Address Representation
Rule 2 – Double Colon
A double colon (::) can replace any single, contiguous string of one or more
16-bit hextets consisting of all zeros.
Example:
• 2001:db8:cafe:1:0:0:0:1 (leading 0s omitted) could be represented as 2001:db8:cafe:1::1

Note: The double colon (::) can only be used once within an address, otherwise there would be
more than one possible resulting address.

Type Format
Preferred 2001 : 0db8 : 0000 : 1111 : 0000 : 0000 : 0000 : 0200
Compressed 2001:db8:0:1111::200

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12.3 IPv6 Address Types

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IPv6 Address Types
Unicast, Multicast, Anycast
There are three broad categories of IPv6 addresses:
• Unicast – Unicast uniquely identifies an interface on an IPv6-enabled device.
• Multicast – Multicast is used to send a single IPv6 packet to multiple destinations.
• Anycast – This is any IPv6 unicast address that can be assigned to multiple devices.
A packet sent to an anycast address is routed to the nearest device having that
address.

Note: Unlike IPv4, IPv6 does not have a broadcast address. However, there is an IPv6
all-nodes multicast address that essentially gives the same result.

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There is no special prefix for an IPv6 anycast
address. An IPv6 anycast address uses the
same address range as global unicast
addresses. Each participating device is
configured to have the same anycast address.
For example, servers A, B, and C
in Figure could be DHCPv6 servers with a
direct Layer 3 connection into the network.
These servers could advertise the same /128
address using OSPFv3. The router nearest the
client request would then forward packets to
the nearest server identified in the routing
table.

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IPv6 Address Types
IPv6 Prefix Length
Prefix length is represented in slash notation and is used to indicate the network portion of
an IPv6 address.
The IPv6 prefix length can range from 0 to 128. The recommended IPv6 prefix length for
LANs and most other types of networks is /64.

Note: It is strongly recommended to use a 64-bit Interface ID for most networks. This is because
stateless address autoconfiguration (SLAAC) uses 64 bits for the Interface ID. It also makes
subnetting easier to create and manage.

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IPv6 Address Types
Types of IPv6 Unicast Addresses

Unlike IPv4 devices that have only a single

address, IPv6 addresses typically have two
unicast addresses:

• Global Unicast Address (GUA) – This is

similar to a public IPv4 address. These are
globally unique, internet-routable addresses.
• Link-local Address (LLA) - Required for
every IPv6-enabled device and used to
communicate with other devices on the same
local link. LLAs are not routable and are
confined to a single link.

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IPv6 Address Types
A Note About the Unique Local Address
The IPv6 unique local addresses (range fc00::/7 to fdff::/7) have some
similarity to RFC 1918 private addresses for IPv4, but there are significant
differences:
• Unique local addresses are used for local addressing within a site or between a
limited number of sites.
• Unique local addresses can be used for devices that will never need to access
another network.
• Unique local addresses are not globally routed or translated to a global IPv6
address.

Note: Many sites use the private nature of RFC 1918 addresses to attempt to
secure or hide their network from potential security risks. This was never the
intended use of ULAs.

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IPv6 Address Types
IPv6 GUA

IPv6 global unicast addresses (GUAs) are globally unique and routable on the IPv6
internet.
• Currently, only GUAs with the first three bits of 001 or 2000::/3 are being assigned.

• Currently available GUAs begins with a decimal 2 or a 3 (This is only 1/8th of the total
available IPv6 address space).

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IPv6 Address Types
IPv6 GUA Structure
Global Routing Prefix:
• The global routing prefix is the prefix, or network, portion of the address that is assigned
by the provider, such as an ISP, to a customer or site. The global routing prefix will vary
depending on ISP policies.
Subnet ID:
• The Subnet ID field is the area between the Global Routing Prefix and the Interface ID.
The Subnet ID is used by an organization to identify subnets within its site.
Interface ID:
• The IPv6 interface ID is equivalent to the host portion of an IPv4 address. It is strongly
recommended that in most cases /64 subnets should be used, which creates a 64-bit
interface ID.
Note: IPv6 allows the all-0s and all-1s host addresses can be assigned to a device. The all-0s address is
reserved as a Subnet-Router anycast address, and should be assigned only to routers.

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IPv6 Address Types
IPv6 LLA
An IPv6 link-local address (LLA) enables a device to communicate with other IPv6-
enabled devices on the same link and only on that link (subnet).
• Packets with a source or destination LLA cannot be routed.

• Every IPv6-enabled network interface must have an LLA.

• If an LLA is not configured manually on an interface, the device will automatically create one.

• IPv6 LLAs are in the fe80::/10 range.

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12.4 GUA and LLA Static
Configuration

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GUA and LLA Static Configuration
Static GUA Configuration on a Router

Most IPv6 configuration and verification commands in the Cisco IOS are similar to their
IPv4 counterparts. In many cases, the only difference is the use of ipv6 in place of ip
within the commands.
• The command to configure an IPv6 GUA on an interface is: ipv6 address ipv6-
address/prefix-length.
• The example shows commands to configure a GUA on the G0/0/0 interface on R1:

R1(config)# interface gigabitethernet 0/0/0

R1(config-if)# ipv6 address 2001:db8:acad:1::1/64
R1(config-if)# no shutdown
R1(config-if)# exit

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GUA and LLA Static Configuration
Static GUA Configuration on a Windows Host

• Manually configuring the IPv6

address on a host is similar to
configuring an IPv4 address.
• The GUA or LLA of the router
interface can be used as the
default gateway. Best practice is
to use the LLA.

Note: When DHCPv6 or SLAAC is used,

the LLA of the router will automatically be
specified as the default gateway address.

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GUA and LLA Static Configuration
Static GUA Configuration of a Link-Local Unicast Address

Configuring the LLA manually lets you create an address that is recognizable and
easier to remember.
• LLAs can be configured manually using the ipv6 address ipv6-link-local-address
link-local command.
• The example shows commands to configure a LLA on the G0/0/0 interface on R1

R1(config)# interface gigabitethernet 0/0/0

R1(config-if)# ipv6 address fe80::1:1 link-local
R1(config-if)# no shutdown
R1(config-if)# exit

Note: The same LLA can be configured on each link as long as it is unique on that
link. Common practice is to create a different LLA on each interface of the router to
make it easy to identify the router and the specific interface.

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12.5 Dynamic Addressing for
IPv6 GUAs

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Dynamic Addressing for IPv6 GUAs
RS and RA Messages
Devices obtain GUA addresses dynamically through Internet Control Message Protocol
version 6 (ICMPv6) messages.
• Router Solicitation (RS) messages are sent by host devices to discover IPv6 routers
• Router Advertisement (RA) messages are sent by routers to inform hosts on how to
obtain an IPv6 GUA and provide useful network information such as:
• Network prefix and prefix length
• Default gateway address
• DNS addresses and domain name
• The RA can provide three methods for configuring an IPv6 GUA :
• SLAAC
• SLAAC with stateless DHCPv6 server
• Stateful DHCPv6 (no SLAAC)

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Dynamic Addressing for IPv6 GUAs
Method 1: SLAAC (Stateless Add Auto Configuration)

• SLAAC allows a device to configure a GUA without the services of DHCPv6.

• Devices obtain the necessary information to configure a GUA from the ICMPv6 RA
messages of the local router.
• The prefix is provided by the RA and the device uses either the EUI-64 or random
generation method to create an interface ID.

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Dynamic Addressing for IPv6 GUAs
Method 2: SLAAC and Stateless DHCP

An RA can instruct a device to use both SLAAC and stateless DHCPv6.

The RA message suggests devices use the following:
• SLAAC to create its own IPv6 GUA

• The router LLA, which is the RA source IPv6 address, as the default gateway
address
• A stateless DHCPv6 server to obtain other information such as a DNS server
address and a domain name

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Dynamic Addressing for IPv6 GUAs
Method 3: Stateful DHCPv6
An RA can instruct a device to use stateful DHCPv6 only.
Stateful DHCPv6 is similar to DHCP for IPv4. A device can automatically receive a GUA,
prefix length, and the addresses of DNS servers from a stateful DHCPv6 server.
The RA message suggests devices use the following:
• The router LLA, which is the RA source IPv6 address, for the default gateway
address.
• A stateful DHCPv6 server to obtain a GUA, DNS server address, domain name and
other necessary information.

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Dynamic Addressing for IPv6 GUAs
EUI-64 Process vs. Randomly Generated

• When the RA message is either

SLAAC or SLAAC with stateless
DHCPv6, the client must
generate its own interface ID.
• The interface ID can be created
using the EUI-64 process or a
randomly generated 64-bit
number.

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Dynamic Addressing for IPv6 GUAs
EUI-64 Process

The IEEE defined the Extended Unique Identifier (EUI) or modified EUI-64 process
which performs the following:
• A 16 bit value of fffe (in hexadecimal) is inserted into the middle of the 48-bit
Ethernet MAC address of the client.
• The 7th bit of the client MAC address is reversed from binary 0 to 1.
• Example:
48-bit MAC fc:99:47:75:ce:e0
EUI-64 Interface ID fe:99:47:ff:fe:75:ce:e0

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Dynamic Addressing for IPv6 GUAs
Randomly Generated Interface IDs
Depending upon the operating system, a device may use a randomly generated
interface ID instead of using the MAC address and the EUI-64 process.
Beginning with Windows Vista, Windows uses a randomly generated interface ID
instead of one created with EUI-64.
C:\> ipconfig
Windows IP Configuration
Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
IPv6 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 2001:db8:acad:1:50a5:8a35:a5bb:66e1
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::50a5:8a35:a5bb:66e1
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : fe80::1
C:\>

Note: To ensure the uniqueness of any IPv6 unicast address, the client may use a
process known as Duplicate Address Detection (DAD). This is similar to an ARP
request for its own address. If there is no reply, then the address is unique.

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12.6 Dynamic Addressing for
IPv6 LLAs

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Dynamic Addressing for IPv6 LLAs
Dynamic LLAs

• All IPv6 interfaces must have an IPv6 LLA.

• Like IPv6 GUAs, LLAs can be configured dynamically.
• The figure shows the LLA is dynamically created using the fe80::/10 prefix and the
interface ID using the EUI-64 process, or a randomly generated 64-bit number.

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Dynamic Addressing for IPv6 LLAs
Dynamic LLAs on Windows
Operating systems, such as Windows, will typically use the same method for both a
SLAAC-created GUA and a dynamically assigned LLA.
EUI-64 Generated Interface ID:
C:\> ipconfig
Windows IP Configuration
Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
IPv6 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 2001:db8:acad:1:fc99:47ff:fe75:cee0
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::fc99:47ff:fe75:cee0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : fe80::1
C:\>

Random 64-bit Generated Interface ID:

C:\> ipconfig
Windows IP Configuration
Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
IPv6 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 2001:db8:acad:1:50a5:8a35:a5bb:66e1
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::50a5:8a35:a5bb:66e1
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : fe80::1
C:\>
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Dynamic Addressing for IPv6 LLAs
Dynamic LLAs on Cisco Routers

Cisco routers automatically create an IPv6 LLA whenever a GUA is assigned to the
interface. By default, Cisco IOS routers use EUI-64 to generate the interface ID for all
LLAs on IPv6 interfaces.
Here is an example of a LLA dynamically configured on the G0/0/0 interface of R1:

R1# show interface gigabitEthernet 0/0/0

GigabitEthernet0/0/0 is up, line protocol is up
Hardware is ISR4221-2x1GE, address is 7079.b392.3640 (bia 7079.b392.3640)
(Output omitted)
R1# show ipv6 interface brief
GigabitEthernet0/0/0 [up/up]
FE80::7279:B3FF:FE92:3640
2001:DB8:ACAD:1::1

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Dynamic Addressing for IPv6 LLAs
Verify IPv6 Address Configuration
Cisco routers automatically create an IPv6 LLA whenever a GUA is assigned to the
interface. By default, Cisco IOS routers use EUI-64 to generate the interface ID for all
LLAs on IPv6 interfaces.
Here is an example of a LLA dynamically configured on the G0/0/0 interface of R1:

R1# show interface gigabitEthernet 0/0/0

GigabitEthernet0/0/0 is up, line protocol is up
Hardware is ISR4221-2x1GE, address is 7079.b392.3640 (bia 7079.b392.3640)
(Output omitted)
R1# show ipv6 interface brief
GigabitEthernet0/0/0 [up/up]
FE80::7279:B3FF:FE92:3640
2001:DB8:ACAD:1::1

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Module Practice and Quiz
Packet Tracer – Configure IPv6 Addressing

In this Packet Tracer, you will do the following:

▪ Configure IPv6 Addressing on the router

▪ Configure IPv6 Addressing on the servers

▪ Configure IPv6 Addressing on the clients

▪ Test and verify network connectivity

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12.7 IPv6 Multicast Addresses

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IPv6 Multicast Addresses
Assigned IPv6 Multicast Addresses

IPv6 multicast addresses have the prefix ff00::/8. There are two types of IPv6
multicast addresses:
• Well-Known multicast addresses
• Solicited node multicast addresses

Note: Multicast addresses can only be destination addresses and not source addresses .

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IPv6 Multicast Addresses
Well-Known IPv6 Multicast Addresses

Well-known IPv6 multicast addresses are assigned and are reserved for predefined
groups of devices.
There are two common IPv6 Assigned multicast groups:
• ff02::1 All-nodes multicast group - This is a multicast group that all IPv6-enabled devices
join. A packet sent to this group is received and processed by all IPv6 interfaces on the link or
network.

• ff02::2 All-routers multicast group - This is a multicast group that all IPv6 routers join. A
router becomes a member of this group when it is enabled as an IPv6 router with the ipv6
unicast-routing global configuration command.

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IPv6 Multicast Addresses
Solicited-Node IPv6 Multicast

• A solicited-node multicast address

is similar to the all-nodes multicast
address.
• A solicited-node multicast address
is mapped to a special Ethernet
multicast address.
• The Ethernet NIC can filter the
frame by examining the destination
MAC address without sending it to
the IPv6 process to see if the
device is the intended target of the
IPv6 packet.

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Module Practice and Quiz
Lab – Identify IPv6 Addresses

In this lab, you complete the following objectives:

• Identify the Different Types of IPv6 Addresses

• Examine a Host IPv6 Network Interface and Address

• Practice IPv6 Address Abbreviation

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12.8 Subnet an IPv6 Network

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Subnet an IPv6 Network
Subnet Using the Subnet ID

IPv6 was designed with subnetting in mind.

• A separate subnet ID field in the IPv6 GUA is used to create subnets.
• The subnet ID field is the area between the Global Routing Prefix and the interface
ID.

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Subnet an IPv6 Network
IPv6 Subnetting Example

Given the 2001:db8:acad::/48 global

routing prefix with a 16 bit subnet ID.
• Allows 65,536 /64 subnets
• The global routing prefix is the
same for all subnets.
• Only the subnet ID hextet is incremented
in hexadecimal for each subnet.

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Subnet an IPv6 Network
IPv6 Subnet Allocation

The example topology requires five subnets, one for each LAN as well as for the serial link
between R1 and R2.

The five IPv6 subnets were allocated, with the subnet ID field 0001 through 0005. Each /64
subnet will provide more addresses than will ever be needed.

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Subnet an IPv6 Network
Router Configured with IPv6 Subnets

The example shows that each of the router interfaces on R1 has been
configured to be on a different IPv6 subnet.

R1(config)# interface gigabitethernet 0/0/0

R1(config-if)# ipv6 address 2001:db8:acad:1::1/64
R1(config-if)# no shutdown
R1(config-if)# exit
R1(config)# interface gigabitethernet 0/0/1
R1(config-if)# ipv6 address 2001:db8:acad:2::1/64
R1(config-if)# no shutdown
R1(config-if)# exit
R1(config)# interface serial 0/1/0
R1(config-if)# ipv6 address 2001:db8:acad:3::1/64
R1(config-if)# no shutdown

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