Reference Guide

• 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. Because 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 IPv6 addresses are manually assigned to a computer by an administrator.
Dynamic IPv6 addresses are assigned either randomly or by a server using dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP).
Even though IPv6 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 IPv6 addresses. In this case, a DHCP server
is used, but it is specifically configured to always assign the same IPv6 address to a particular computer, and never to
assign that IP address to another computer. This allows static IPv6 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.
Implementing IPv6 with FTOS
FTOS supports both IPv4 and IPv6 and both may be used simultaneously in your system.
The following table lists the FTOS version in which an IPv6 feature became available for each platform. The sections
following the table give greater detail about the feature.
Feature and Functionality FTOS Release Introduction Documentation and Chapter
Location
Z9000
Basic IPv6 Commands 8.3.11 IPv6 Basic Commands in the
FTOS Command Line
Interface Reference Guide .
IPv6 Basic Addressing
IPv6 address types: Unicast 8.3.11 Extended Address Space
IPv6 neighbor discovery 8.3.11 IPv6 Neighbor Discovery
334