Internet Protocol, Version 6 (IPv6) Specification
RFC 2460
Document | Type |
RFC - Draft Standard
(December 1998; Errata)
Obsoleted by RFC 8200
Obsoletes RFC 1883
|
|
---|---|---|---|
Authors | Bob Hinden , Steve Deering | ||
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 2460 (Draft Standard) | |
Consensus Boilerplate | Unknown | ||
Telechat date | |||
Responsible AD | (None) | ||
Send notices to | (None) |
Network Working Group S. Deering Request for Comments: 2460 Cisco Obsoletes: 1883 R. Hinden Category: Standards Track Nokia December 1998 Internet Protocol, Version 6 (IPv6) Specification 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. Copyright Notice Copyright (C) The Internet Society (1998). All Rights Reserved. Abstract This document specifies version 6 of the Internet Protocol (IPv6), also sometimes referred to as IP Next Generation or IPng. Table of Contents 1. Introduction..................................................2 2. Terminology...................................................3 3. IPv6 Header Format............................................4 4. IPv6 Extension Headers........................................6 4.1 Extension Header Order...................................7 4.2 Options..................................................9 4.3 Hop-by-Hop Options Header...............................11 4.4 Routing Header..........................................12 4.5 Fragment Header.........................................18 4.6 Destination Options Header..............................23 4.7 No Next Header..........................................24 5. Packet Size Issues...........................................24 6. Flow Labels..................................................25 7. Traffic Classes..............................................25 8. Upper-Layer Protocol Issues..................................27 8.1 Upper-Layer Checksums...................................27 8.2 Maximum Packet Lifetime.................................28 8.3 Maximum Upper-Layer Payload Size........................28 8.4 Responding to Packets Carrying Routing Headers..........29 Deering & Hinden Standards Track [Page 1] RFC 2460 IPv6 Specification December 1998 Appendix A. Semantics and Usage of the Flow Label Field.........30 Appendix B. Formatting Guidelines for Options...................32 Security Considerations.........................................35 Acknowledgments.................................................35 Authors' Addresses..............................................35 References......................................................35 Changes Since RFC-1883..........................................36 Full Copyright Statement........................................39 1. Introduction IP version 6 (IPv6) is a new version of the Internet Protocol, designed as the successor to IP version 4 (IPv4) [RFC-791]. The changes from IPv4 to IPv6 fall primarily into the following categories: o Expanded Addressing Capabilities IPv6 increases the IP address size from 32 bits to 128 bits, to support more levels of addressing hierarchy, a much greater number of addressable nodes, and simpler auto-configuration of addresses. The scalability of multicast routing is improved by adding a "scope" field to multicast addresses. And a new type of address called an "anycast address" is defined, used to send a packet to any one of a group of nodes. o Header Format Simplification Some IPv4 header fields have been dropped or made optional, to reduce the common-case processing cost of packet handling and to limit the bandwidth cost of the IPv6 header. o Improved Support for Extensions and Options Changes in the way IP header options are encoded allows for more efficient forwarding, less stringent limits on the length of options, and greater flexibility for introducing new options in the future. o Flow Labeling Capability A new capability is added to enable the labeling of packets belonging to particular traffic "flows" for which the sender requests special handling, such as non-default quality of service or "real-time" service. Deering & Hinden Standards Track [Page 2] RFC 2460 IPv6 Specification December 1998 o Authentication and Privacy Capabilities Extensions to support authentication, data integrity, and (optional) data confidentiality are specified for IPv6.Show full document text