IP Version 6 Addressing Architecture
RFC 1884
Document | Type |
RFC - Historic
(December 1995; No errata)
Obsoleted by RFC 2373
|
|
---|---|---|---|
Author | Bob Hinden | ||
Last updated | 2013-03-02 | ||
Stream | IETF | ||
Formats | plain text html pdf htmlized bibtex | ||
Stream | WG state | (None) | |
Document shepherd | No shepherd assigned | ||
IESG | IESG state | RFC 1884 (Historic) | |
Consensus Boilerplate | Unknown | ||
Telechat date | |||
Responsible AD | (None) | ||
Send notices to | (None) |
Network Working Group R. Hinden, Ipsilon Networks Request for Comments: 1884 S. Deering, Xerox PARC Category: Standards Track Editors December 1995 IP Version 6 Addressing Architecture Status of this Memo This document specifies an Internet standards track protocol for the Internet community, and requests discussion and suggestions for improvements. Please refer to the current edition of the "Internet Official Protocol Standards" (STD 1) for the standardization state and status of this protocol. Distribution of this memo is unlimited. Abstract This specification defines the addressing architecture of the IP Version 6 protocol [IPV6]. The document includes the IPv6 addressing model, text representations of IPv6 addresses, definition of IPv6 unicast addresses, anycast addresses, and multicast addresses, and an IPv6 nodes required addresses. Hinden & Deering Standards Track [Page 1] RFC 1884 IPv6 Addressing Architecture December 1995 Table of Contents 1. Introduction................................................3 2. IPv6 Addressing.............................................3 2.1 Addressing Model........................................4 2.2 Text Representation of Addresses........................4 2.3 Address Type Representation.............................5 2.4 Unicast Addresses.......................................7 2.4.1 Unicast Address Example.............................8 2.4.2 The Unspecified Address.............................9 2.4.3 The Loopback Address................................9 2.4.4 IPv6 Addresses with Embedded IPv4 Addresses.........9 2.4.5 NSAP Addresses......................................10 2.4.6 IPX Addresses.......................................10 2.4.7 Provider-Based Global Unicast Addresses.............10 2.4.8 Local-use IPv6 Unicast Addresses....................11 2.5 Anycast Addresses.......................................12 2.5.1 Required Anycast Address............................13 2.6 Multicast Addresses.....................................14 2.6.1 Pre-Defined Multicast Addresses.....................15 2.7 A Node's Required Addresses.............................17 REFERENCES.....................................................18 SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS........................................18 DOCUMENT EDITOR'S ADDRESSES....................................18 Hinden & Deering Standards Track [Page 2] RFC 1884 IPv6 Addressing Architecture December 1995 1.0 INTRODUCTION This specification defines the addressing architecture of the IP Version 6 protocol. It includes a detailed description of the currently defined address formats for IPv6 [IPV6]. The editors would like to acknowledge the contributions of Paul Francis, Jim Bound, Brian Carpenter, Deborah Estrin, Peter Ford, Bob Gilligan, Christian Huitema, Tony Li, Greg Minshall, Erik Nordmark, Yakov Rekhter, Bill Simpson, and Sue Thomson. 2.0 IPv6 ADDRESSING IPv6 addresses are 128-bit identifiers for interfaces and sets of interfaces. There are three types of addresses: Unicast: An identifier for a single interface. A packet sent to a unicast address is delivered to the interface identified by that address. Anycast: An identifier for a set of interfaces (typically belonging to different nodes). A packet sent to an anycast address is delivered to one of the interfaces identified by that address (the "nearest" one, according to the routing protocols' measure of distance). Multicast: An identifier for a set of interfaces (typically belonging to different nodes). A packet sent to a multicast address is delivered to all interfaces identified by that address. There are no broadcast addresses in IPv6, their function being superseded by multicast addresses. In this document, fields in addresses are given a specific name, for example "subscriber". When this name is used with the term "ID" for identifier after the name (e.g., "subscriber ID"), it refers to the contents of the named field. When it is used with the term "prefix" (e.g., "subscriber prefix") it refers to all of the address up to and including this field. In IPv6, all zeros and all ones are legal values for any field, unless specifically excluded. Specifically, prefixes may contain zero-valued fields or end in zeros.Show full document text