Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6)

IPv6 is short for "Internet Protocol version 6". IPv6 is the "next generation" protocol designed by the IETF to replace the current version of Internet_Protocol, IP Version 4 or IPv4.

IPv6 was initially designed with a compelling reason in mind: the need for more IP addresses. This need arose from fast Internet growth: billions of new devices (cell phones, PDAs, appliances, cars, etc.), and billions of new users (China, India, Latin America). This, combined with new 'always-on' access technologies such as xDSL, cable, ethernet-to-the-home, were increasing the appetite for new devices and new users.

There may be alternative technical solutions, such as NAT (Network Address Translation), but they won't work so easily to allow this growth. <!-- what's this have to do with IPv6?: Furthermore, those alternative solutions make the Internet, the applications, and even the devices more complex; this means increased costs. On the other hand, IPv6 can make, in the medium/long-term, every IP device cheaper, more powerful, and even consume less power (which is important not only for ecologic conservation, but also to have longer battery life in portable devices such as cell phones). -->

Consequently, the design of IPv6 was an opportunistic way to improve the Internet, with new benefits such as:

• Expanded addressing capabilities.
• Server-less autoconfiguration ("plug-n-play") and reconfiguration.
• More efficient and robust mobility mechanisms.
• End-to-end security, with built-in, strong IP-layer encryption and authentication.
• Streamlined header format and flow identification.
• Enhanced support for multicast and QoS.
• Extensibility: Improved support for options / extensions.

History

The History of IPv6 started in 1994-1995 with documents such as: RFC1719 "A Direction for IPng", RFC1726 "Technical Criteria for Choosing IP The Next Generation (IPng)" and RFC1752 RFC1752 "The Recommendation for the IP Next Generation Protocol".

Then the main document was published in December 1995: RFC1883 "Internet Protocol, Version 6 (IPv6) Specification".

Which was obsoleted in December 1998 by: RFC2460"Internet Protocol, Version 6 (IPv6) Specification".

Protocol dependencies

• Ethernet: Typically, IPv6 uses Ethernet as its transport protocol.

IPv6 can be transported over a wide variety of other protocols as well.

Example traffic

XXX - Add example traffic here (as plain text or Wireshark screenshot).

Wireshark

The IPv6 dissector is (fully functional, partially functional, not existing, ... whatever the current state is). Also add info of additional Wireshark features where appropriate, like special statistics of this protocol.

Preference Settings

(XXX add links to preference settings affecting how IPv6 is dissected).

Example capture file

XXX - Add a simple example capture file to the SampleCaptures page and link from here. Keep it short, it's also a good idea to gzip it to make it even smaller, as Wireshark can open gzipped files automatically.

Display Filter

A complete list of IPv6 display filter fields can be found in the display filter reference

• Show only the IPv6 based traffic:

   ipv6 

Capture Filter

• Capture IPv6 based traffic only:

   ip6 

  Capture only the IPv6 based traffic to or from host fe80::1:

   host fe80::1 

  Capture IPv6-over-IPv4 tunneled traffic only:

   ip proto 41 

  Capture native IPv6 traffic only:

   ip6 and not ip proto 41 

External links

• RFC2460 Internet Protocol, Version 6 (IPv6) Specification

• RFC4191 IP Version 6 Addressing Architecture

• IPv6 Web page

• The IPv6 Portal

Discussion

The Wireshark web site is available over IPv6 at http://ipv6.wireshark.org (IPv6-only). -- GeraldCombs