2 ipv6 address types, 3 ipv6 address scope, 4 special ipv6 addresses – Kofax Communication Server 9.1.1 User Manual

Page 58: 5 ipv6 address and the port number, 6 assignment of ipv6 addresses

Environment Guide

Version 3.00.04

6.2.2

IPv6 Address Types

There are three types of IPv6 addresses: unicast, multicast and anycast.

Unicast IPv6 address is an address for a single interface.

Multicast IPv6 address is an address for a set of interfaces and a packet sent to such an address will be

delivered to all interfaces identified by this address.

Anycast IPv6 address is also an address for a set of interfaces, but a packet sent to such an address is

delivered to one of these interfaces.

6.2.3

IPv6 Address Scope

IPv6 addresses have a scope which defines a network area over which they are defined and relevant.

There are following main address scopes for unicast addresses (which are of the main KCS interest):

Name

Scope

Identified by

Example

Global Address

Global

First three bits equal to
001

2001:db8:a3::1:2345:1234

Unique Local
Address

Site-Local

Start with the prefix
fd00::/8

fd96:eb5f:7508:5760:204:23ff:feac:4172

Site-Local
Address

Site-Local

Start with the prefix
fec0::/10

fec0:eb5f:7508:5760:204:23ff:feac:4172

Link-Local
Address

On-Link
Neighbors

Prefix fe80::/64

fe80::204:23ff:feac:4172

6.2.4

Special IPv6 Addresses

Address

Purpose

::0/128

Address with all zero bits is called “unspecified address” (corresponds to 0.0.0.0 in IPv4)

::1/128

Loopback address (corresponds to 127.0.0.1 in IPv4)

6.2.5

IPv6 Address and the Port Number

IPv6 uses the same concept of ports as IPv4 does, including the same well-known ports, but if writing IPv6
address and the port number in one string, it is necessary to quote the address with “[]” brackets like here:

[2001:db8:a3::1]:443

“[]” brackets must be also used when writing an IPv6 address in a URL like here:

http://[2001:db8:a3::1]/index.html

6.2.6

Assignment of IPv6 Addresses

It is possible to assign IPv6 addresses through auto-configuration but also manually. The simplest

automatic approach is so called stateless address configuration where IPv6 hosts can configure themselves

automatically when connected to a network with IPv6 enabled router by the means of the Network

Discovery protocol (ND).

Once connected to the network, the host sends so called link-local multicast router solicitation request and

the router responds with a router advertisement packet which contains a couple of network configuration

parameters, the most important is the address prefix.