What is IPv6? And Why Should We Care?

Updated: August 23, 2012

This graphic provides an outline describing the new Internet protocol known as iPV6. It explains the basics of what exactly an Internet protocol is and its role in the world of information technology. Knowledge of how an Internet protocol works is important because it forms the backbone of how information is readily available online any time and from any location. Without a uniform set of rules, the technology behind sending and receiving packets across a network would have little if any reliability.

The iPV6 has been created largely as a result of the increasing demand for new available sets of Internet Protocol addresses, commonly known as IP addresses. If two machines on the same network have the same IP address, they cannot correctly send or receive information packets. As the number of machines connected to the Internet continues to grow throughout the world, the number of possible unique IP addresses continues to decline. This problem is especially apparent upon examining the performance of the iPV6's predecessor, the iPV4 protocol.

A significant difference between the iPV6 and iPV4 protocols is their structure. As opposed to the smaller 32-bit address space of the iPV4 protocol, the iPV6 provides a much larger 128-bit space. In addition to this change, the iPV6 is designed for greater mobile computing capabilities that allow the same packet to be sent to multiple IP addresses at once if necessary.

 

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