IPV6 Headers and Features

IPv6 Header and Features
Yashvant Singh Centre for Excellence in Telecom Technology and Management
IPV6 HEADER AND FEATURES
Topics Covered
Comparison of IPv4 and IPv6 IPv6 header IPv6 header fields IPv6 Extension Headers IPv6 Mobility Transition from IPv4 to IPv6
The IPv6 Header

An Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) packet consists of an IPv6 header, extension headers, and an upperlayer protocol data unit.
The IPv6 Header

The components of an IPv6 packet are IPv6 Header
The IPv6 header is always present and is a fixed size of 40 bytes.
Extension Headers
Zero or more extension headers can be present and are of varying lengths. If extension headers are present, a Next Header field in the IPv6 header indicates the first extension header. Within each extension header is another Next Header field, indicating the next extension header. The last extension header indicates the header for the upper-layer protocol
The IPv6 Header

Upper-Layer Protocol Data Unit
The upper-layer protocol data unit (PDU) consists of an upper-layer protocol header and its payload The IPv6 packet payload is the combination of the IPv6 extension headers and the upper-layer PDU. Normally, it can be up to 65,535 bytes long. IPv6 packets with payloads larger than 65,535 bytes in length, known as jumbograms, can also be sent.
IPv6 Header
IPv4 Header
Ver. IHL TOS (DS) Total Length 4 4 8 16 Identification Flag Fragment Offset 16 3 13 TTL Protocol Header Checksum 8 8 16 Source Address 32 Destination Address 32 Options (Var.) Pad 4 Enhanced in IPv6 Enhanced in IPv6 Enhanced in IPv6 Enhanced in IPv6 No Change in IPv6 Removed in IPv6
IPv6 Header
Ver. Traff. Class 4 8 Payload Length 16 Flow Label 20 Next Head. Hop Count 8 8
Source Address 128
Destination Address 128
IPv6 Header
Version
The Version field indicates the version of IP and is set to 6. The size of this field is 4 bits.
Traffic Class
The Traffic Class field indicates the IPv6 packets class or priority. The size of this field is 8 bits. This field provides functionality similar to the IPv4 Type of Service field. The first 6 bits of the Traffic Class field are the DSCP field and the last 2 bits are used for ECN.
The IPv6 Header

Flow Label
The Flow Label field indicates that this packet belongs to a specific sequence of packets between a source and destination, requiring special handling by intermediate IPv6 routers. The size of this field is 20 bits. The flow label is used for prioritized delivery, such as delivery needed by real-time data (voice and video). For default router handling, Flow Label field is set to 0 To distinguish a given flow, an intermediate router can use the packets source address, destination address, and flow label.
The IPv6 Header

Flow Label
Therefore, there can be multiple flows between a source and destination, as distinguished by separate non-zero flow labels. The flow label field allows flows to be tagged as they enter the network so that similar traffic may be tagged and switched quickly along a path instead of being examined at each intermediate router.
The IPv6 Header

Payload Length
The Payload Length field indicates the length of the IPv6 payload. The size of this field is 16 bits. The Payload Length field includes the extension headers and the upper-layer PDU. With 16 bits, an IPv6 payload of up to 65,535 bytes can be indicated. For payload lengths greater than 65,535 bytes, the Payload Length field is set to 0 and the Jumbo Payload option is used in the Hop-by-Hop Options extension header
The IPv6 Header

Next Header
The Next Header field indicates either the type of the first extension header (if present) or the protocol in the upper-layer PDU (such as TCP, UDP, or ICMPv6). The size of this field is 8 bits. When indicating an upper-layer protocol, the Next Header field uses the same values that are used in the IPv4 Protocol field.
Values of the Next Header Field

Value (Decimal)
0 6 17 41 43 44 50 51 58 59 60
Header
Hop-by-Hop Options header TCP UDP Encapsulated IPv6 header Routing header Fragment header Encapsulating Security Payload header Authentication header ICMPv6 No next header Destination Options header
The IPv6 Header

Hop Limit
The Hop Limit field indicates the maximum number of links over which the IPv6 packet can travel before being discarded. The size of this field is 8 bits. The Hop Limit field is similar to the IPv4 TTL field, except that there is no historical relation to the amount of time (in seconds) that the packet is queued at the router. When Hop Limit equals 0 at a router, the router sends an ICMPv6 Time Exceeded-Hop Limit Exceeded in Transit message to the source and discards the packet.
The IPv6 Header

Source Address
The Source Address field indicates the IPv6 address of the originating host. The size of this field is 128 bits.
Destination Address
The Destination Address field indicates the IPv6 address of the current destination node. The size of this field is 128 bits. In most cases, the Destination Address field is set to the final destination address. If a Routing extension header is present, the Destination Address field might be set to the address of the next intermediate destination.
CHECKSUM

In IPv4, each packet includes a header checksum
Since intermediate routers decrement the TTL, they also have to recalculate the checksum each time they handle a packet, resulting in more processing resources being used throughout the network
Since upper layer protocols perform a checksum anyway, the IPv6 header does not include a checksum field This results in more efficient forwarding.
FRAGMENTATION
Fragmentation information has been moved to an extension header Intermediate routers fragment packets no longer
If fragmentation is required, it is performed by the source node, reducing the processing burden on the network.
Comparing the IPv4 and IPv6 Headers

The number of fields has dropped from 12 (including options) in the IPv4 header to 8 in the IPv6 header. The number of fields that must be processed by an intermediate router has dropped from 6 to 4, making the forwarding of normal IPv6 packets more efficient. Seldom-used fields such as fields supporting fragmentation and options in the IPv4 header have been moved to extension headers in the IPv6 header.

The size of the IPv6 header has doubled from 20 bytes for a minimum-sized IPv4 header to 40 bytes. The new IPv6 header contains source and destination addresses that are four times longer
than IPv4 source and destination addresses.
IPv4 Header Fields & IPv6 Equivalents

IPv4 Header IPv6 Header Field Field Version Same field but with a different version number.
Internet Length Header Removed in IPv6. IPv6 does not include a Header Length field because the IPv6 header is always a fixed length of 40 bytes. Each extension header is either a fixed length or indicates its own length. Replaced by the IPv6 Traffic Class field. Replaced by the IPv6 Payload Length field, which indicates only the size of the payload. Removed in IPv6. Fragmentation information is not included in the IPv6 header. It is contained in a Fragment extension header. Replaced by the IPv6 Hop Limit field.
Type of Service Total Length Identification Flags Fragment Offset Time-to-Live
IPv4 Header Fields & IPv6 Equivalents

IPv4 Header Field IPv6 Header Field
Protocol Header Checksum Replaced by the IPv6 Next Header field. Removed in IPv6. The link layer has a checksum that performs bit-level error detection for the entire IPv6 packet The field is the same except that IPv6 addresses are 128 bits in length. The field is the same except that IPv6 addresses are 128 bits in length. Removed in IPv6. IPv6 extension headers replace IPv4 options.
Source Address Destination Address Options

The process to forward an IPv6 packet is much simpler than for an IPv4 packet, as it does not have to verify and recalculate
header
checksum,
perform
fragmentation, or process options not intended for the router.
Features of IPv6
New header format Large address space Stateless and stateful address configuration IPSec header support required Better support for prioritized delivery New protocol for neighbouring node interaction Extensibility
New Header Format

designed to minimize header processing nonessential and optional fields are moved to extension headers that are placed after the IPv6 header. The new default IPv6 header is only twice the
size of the default IPv4 header, even though the

number of bits in IPv6 addresses is four times larger than IPv4 addresses.
Large Address Space

IPv6 has 128-bit (16-byte) source and destination addresses. 128 bits can express over 3.4 10^38 possible combinations With a much larger number of available
addresses,
address-conservation
techniques,
such as the deployment of NATs, are no longer necessary.
Stateless and Stateful Address Configuration

To simplify host configuration, IPv6 supports both stateful address configuration and stateless address configuration With stateless address configuration, hosts on a link automatically configure themselves with IPv6 addresses for the link (called link-local addresses), with IPv6 transition addresses, and with addresses derived from prefixes advertised by local routers.
Stateless and Stateful Address Configuration

Even in the absence of a router, hosts on the same link
can automatically configure themselves with link-local addresses and communicate without manual
configuration.
Link-local addresses are auto configured within
seconds, and communication with neighbouring nodes on the link is possible immediately.
IPSec Header Support Required

Support for the IPSec headers is an IPv6 protocol suite requirement. This requirement provides a standards-based solution for network protection needs and promotes interoperability between different IPv6 implementations. IPSec consists of two types of extension headers and a protocol to negotiate security settings. The Authentication header (AH) provides data integrity, data authentication, and replay protection for the entire IPv6 packet (excluding fields in the IPv6 header that must change in transit). The Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP) header and trailer provide data integrity, data authentication, data confidentiality, and replay protection for the ESPencapsulated payload.
Better Support for Prioritized Delivery

New fields in the IPv6 header define how traffic is handled and identified. Traffic is prioritized using a Traffic Class field, which specifies a DSCP value just like IPv4. A Flow Label field in the IPv6 header allows routers to identify and provide special handling for packets that belong to a flow (a series of packets between a source and destination). Because the traffic is identified in the IPv6 header, support for prioritized delivery can be achieved even when the packet payload is encrypted with IPSec and ESP.
New Protocol for Neighbouring Node Interaction

The Neighbour Discovery protocol for IPv6 is a series of Internet Control Message Protocol for
IPv6 (ICMPv6) messages that manages the interaction of neighbouring nodes (nodes on the same link).
Neighbour Discovery replaces and extends the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) (broadcast-based), ICMPv4 Router Discovery, and ICMPv4 Redirect messages with efficient multicast and unicast Neighbour Discovery messages.
Extensibility
IPv6 can easily be extended for new features by adding extension headers after the IPv6 header. The size of IPv6 extension headers is constrained only
by the size of the IPv6 packet.
IPv6 extension headers

The IPv4 header includes all options. Each intermediate router must check for their existence and process them when present. This can cause performance degradation in the forwarding of IPv4 packets. With IPv6, delivery and forwarding options are moved to extension headers. The only extension header that must be processed at each intermediate router is the Hop-by-Hop Options extension header. This increases IPv6 header processing speed and improves the performance of forwarding IPv6 packets.
IPv6 extension headers

Hop-by-Hop Options header Destination Options header Routing header Fragment header Authentication header Encapsulating Security Payload header
THE IPV6 PACKET HEADER
Extension HeadersZero or more extension headers follow the basic IPv6 header (for example, before the transport layer data). The next header field within an extension header points to the next header in the chain. The extension headers (in their suggested order) could include: Hop-by-Hop options Options for intermediate routers along the path. Destination options Options for the end node (and intermediate routers if the routing header is also present). RoutingUsed to specify intermediate routers that the route must include; the effect is to force routing along an administratively defined path.
THE IPV6 PACKET HEADER
FragmentUsed to divide packets that are too large for the maximum transmission unit (MTU) of a link along the path. This header replaces the fragmentation fields of the IPv4 packet header
Authentication and Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP)Used by IPsec to provide packet authentication, integrity, and confidentiality. The authentication header (AH) and ESP header are identical in IPv4 and IPv6.
Hop by Hop Options Header

Next header value 0
NH HEL
Option Type
ODL
Option data
Header Extension Length
Option type: first two bits

00 skip and continue processing 01 discard packet 10 discard and send ICMP parameter problem (unrecognized option type) 11 discard and send ICMP parameter problem (dest is not multicast)
Hop by Hop Options Header

Option type:
3rd bit 1 if option information can change en route 0 if not
194 for jumbo payload option (32 bit Jumbo payload length)
Option Router Alert: value 5 in next 5 bits Option data length 2 0 packet with MLD message 1 Packet with RSVP message 2 Packet with Active Network Message 3 - 35 Packet with Aggregated Reservation Nesting Level (RSVP RFC3175) (36-65535 reserved by IANA)
Routing Header
Next header value 43
NH HEL Routing TypeSegment left
Type specific data
For type 0
Reserved (4 bytes)
Address 1 (16 bytes) Address 2 (16 bytes) Address x (16 bytes)
Fragment Header
NH Res.
Frag. Offset Res. M (13 bit) (2 bit) (1 bit) Identification (4 byte)
Unfragmentable part Frag. Header Unfragmentable part Frag. Header
First Frag. Sec Frag.
Unfragmentable part Frag. Header
Last Frag.
Destination Options Header

NH HEL
Option Type
ODL
Option data
Comparison of IPv4 and IPv6

IPv4 IPv6
Source and destination addresses are Source and destination addresses are 32 bits (4 bytes) in length. 128 bits (16 bytes) in length.
IPsec header support is optional.
IPsec header support is required.
No identification of packet flow for Packet flow identification for prioritized prioritized delivery handling by routers delivery handling by routers is present is present within the IPv4 header. within the IPv6 header using the Flow Label field. Fragmentation is performed by the Fragmentation is performed only by the sending host and at routers, slowing sending host. router performance. Has no link-layer packet-size Link layer must support a 1280-byte requirements, and must be able to packet and be able to reassemble a reassemble a 576-byte packet. 1500-byte packet.

IPv4
Header includes a checksum.
Header includes options.
IPv6
Header does not include a checksum.
All optional data is moved to IPv6 extension headers.
ARP uses broadcast ARP Request ARP Request frames are replaced with frames to resolve an IPv4 address to a multicast Neighbor Solicitation link-layer address. messages. Internet Group Management Protocol IGMP is replaced with Multicast Listener (IGMP) is used to manage local subnet Discovery (MLD) messages. group membership. ICMP Router Discovery is used to ICMPv4 Router Discovery is replaced determine the IPv4 address of the best with ICMPv6 Router Solicitation and default gateway and is optional. Router Advertisement messages, and it is required.

IPv4 IPv6
Broadcast addresses are used to send There are no IPv6 broadcast traffic to all nodes on a subnet. addresses. Instead, a link-local scope all-nodes multicast address is used.
Must be configured either manually or Does not require manual configuration through DHCP for IPv4. or DHCP for IPv6. Uses host address (A) resource Uses AAAA records in the DNS to map records in the Domain Name System host names to IPv6 addresses. (DNS) to map host names to IPv4 addresses. Uses pointer (PTR) resource records in Uses pointer (PTR) resource records in the INADDR.ARPA DNS domain to the IP6.ARPA DNS domain to map map IPv4 addresses to host names. IPv6 addresses to host names.
IPV6 MOBILITY

Feature, defined in RFC 3775, Mobility Support in IPv6, allows users to stay connected while roaming An IPv6 mobile node has a home address on its home network and a care-of address on its current network A node communicating with a mobile node is called a correspondent node of the mobile node. The association between the home address and the careof address of a mobile node is known as a binding. When a mobile node roams away from its home network, it sends a binding update to its home agent, a router on its home network. There are two ways that a mobile node and a correspondent node can communicatevia the home agent or directly.
IPV6 MOBILITY
If the mobile node moves it sends a binding update to its home agent and to all correspondent nodes
TRANSITIONING FROM IPV4 TO IPV6
Dual stack
Tunneling
Translation
DUAL STACK
The dual-stack approach simply means to run IPv6 and IPv4 concurrently, with no communication between the two
Hosts and routers have both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses and use whichever is appropriate to reach a given resource
If a resource, such as a server, is reachable using either protocol, IPv6 should be used
TUNNELING
With tunneling, routers that straddle the IPv4 and IPv6 worlds encapsulate the IPv6 traffic inside IPv4 packets. The source of the IPv4 packet is the local router and the destination is the peer router at the other end of the tunnel. When the destination router receives the IPv4 packet, it decapsulates the external IPv4 header and forwards the enclosed IPv6 traffic
TUNNELING METHODS
Manual 6-to-4
Teredo Intra-Site Automatic Tunnel Addressing Protocol (ISATAP)
MANUAL TUNNELS
MANUAL TUNNEL CONFIGURATION
IPV6-TO-IPV4 (6-TO-4) TUNNELS
A 6-to-4 tunnel works similarly to a manual tunnel, except that the tunnel is set up automatically
6-to-4 tunnels use IPv6 addresses that concatenate 2002::/16 with the 32-bit IPv4 address of the edge router, creating a 48-bit prefix
IPV6-TO-IPV4 (6-TO-4) TUNNELS
TEREDO
Another type of tunnel is called Teredo (also known as shipworm). Teredo encapsulates IPv6 packets in IPv4/UDP segments and works similarly to other tunnels but with the added benefit of being able to traverse network address translation (NAT) devices and firewalls
Teredo is described in RFC 4380
ISATAP
ISATAP treats the IPv4 network as an NBMA network and allows an IPv4 private network to incrementally implement IPv6 without upgrading the network. ISATAP is documented in RFC 4214
The Case for IPv6 Deployment

The following present the key technological and business benefits in the case to deploy IPv6: IPv6 Solves the Address Depletion Problem IPv6 Solves the Disjoint Address Space Problem IPv6 Solves the International Address Allocation Problem IPv6 Restores End-to-End Communication IPv6 Uses Scoped Addresses and Address Selection IPv6 Has More Efficient Forwarding IPv6 Has Support for Security and Mobility
Summary
Comparison of IPv4 and IPv6 IPv6 header IPv6 header fields IPv6 Extension Headers IPv6 Mobility Transition from IPv4 to IPv6
References
Books: IPv6 essentials by S. Hagen Deploying IPv6 networks by C. Pooviciu and E.L.Abegnoli URLs: 1)http://www.icann.org/
2)http://www.cisco.com/
3)http://en.wikipedia.org 4)www.ipv6.org/

IPV6 Headers and Features

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IPv6 Header and Features

Yashvant Singh Centre for Excellence in Telecom Technology and Management

IPV6 HEADER AND FEATURES

IPv6 Header and Features

IPv6 Header and Features

IPv6 Header and Features

The IPv6 Header

IPv6 Header and Features

The IPv6 Header

IPv6 Header and Features

The IPv6 Header

IPv6 Header and Features

Source Address 128

Destination Address 128

IPv6 Header and Features

IPv6 Header and Features

IPv6 Header and Features

The IPv6 Header

IPv6 Header and Features

The IPv6 Header

IPv6 Header and Features

The IPv6 Header

IPv6 Header and Features

The IPv6 Header

IPv6 Header and Features

Values of the Next Header Field

IPv6 Header and Features

The IPv6 Header

IPv6 Header and Features

The IPv6 Header

IPv6 Header and Features

In IPv4, each packet includes a header checksum

IPv6 Header and Features

IPv6 Header and Features

IPv6 Header and Features

IPv6 Header and Features

Comparing the IPv4 and IPv6 Headers

IPv6 Header and Features

Comparing the IPv4 and IPv6 Headers

than IPv4 source and destination addresses.

IPv6 Header and Features

IPv4 Header Fields & IPv6 Equivalents

Type of Service Total Length Identification Flags Fragment Offset Time-to-Live

IPv6 Header and Features

IPv4 Header Fields & IPv6 Equivalents

Source Address Destination Address Options

IPv6 Header and Features

Comparing the IPv4 and IPv6 Headers

fragmentation, or process options not intended for the router.

IPv6 Header and Features

IPv6 Header and Features

New Header Format

size of the default IPv4 header, even though the

IPv6 Header and Features

Large Address Space

such as the deployment of NATs, are no longer necessary.

IPv6 Header and Features

Stateless and Stateful Address Configuration

IPv6 Header and Features

Stateless and Stateful Address Configuration

IPv6 Header and Features

IPSec Header Support Required

IPv6 Header and Features

Better Support for Prioritized Delivery