IPv6 Address Role Sorter — TechKnowSurge

About this interactive

An IPv6 interface usually holds several addresses at once, and each has a job. Sort by the job. Link-local: made by the host itself the moment IPv6 starts, either at random (Windows) or with EUI-64 from the MAC address (Cisco). It works on its own link and a router does not forward it. It is the IPv6 cousin of IPv4's 169.254 APIPA address, but far more important: a host uses it to talk to its neighbors and its router before it has anything else, and the default gateway a PC learns is the router's link-local address. Global unicast: IPv6's public address, unique in the world, so no NAT is needed. A host gets one by SLAAC (the router's /64 prefix plus the host's own 64 interface bits), from a DHCPv6 server, or by hand. Windows also keeps a temporary one that it changes now and then, for privacy. Unique local: routed between an organization's own subnets and sites, but not on the internet, like IPv4's private ranges. Unlike them, it was not designed to be translated to a public address. Multicast: one packet to a group of devices that joined it. IPv6 has no broadcast; where IPv4 would broadcast, IPv6 uses a multicast group nearly every device joins. Eight of the twenty-four descriptions are drawn each run.

What you'll learn

Match a job, a reach or an IPv4 counterpart to the IPv6 address that fits it: link-local, global unicast, unique local or multicast
Say how a host gets each kind of unicast address: link-local on its own, global unicast by SLAAC, DHCPv6 or by hand

Aligned to

Cisco CCNA

1.9 Describe IPv6 address types

1.8 Configure and verify IPv6 addressing and prefix

Cisco CCST Networking

2.3 Identify IPv6 addresses and prefix formats

CompTIA Network+

3.4 Given a scenario, implement IPv4 and IPv6 network services

Key terms

Link-Local Address: An IPv6 address in the FE80::/10 range that is automatically assigned to every IPv6-enabled interface and used only for communication within a single network link. It cannot be routed beyond the local Layer 2 segment and is required for Neighbor Discovery and router communication.
Global Unicast Address: A publicly routable IPv6 unicast address beginning with the prefix 2000::/3, equivalent in role to a public IPv4 address, used to identify a device uniquely across the internet. GUAs are assigned by ISPs and regional internet registries and are the addresses used for internet-facing communication in IPv6.
Unique Local Address: An IPv6 address in the FC00::/7 range (most commonly FD00::/8) used for private internal network communication, analogous to IPv4 private address ranges like 192.168.0.0/16. Unique local addresses are not routable on the public internet but can be routed within an organization's own network.
IPv6 Multicast: An IPv6 address type where a single source sends traffic to multiple subscribed destination devices simultaneously.
Stateless Address Autoconfiguration: An IPv6 mechanism that allows devices to automatically generate a globally unique IPv6 address using the network prefix from a Router Advertisement combined with a locally generated interface identifier, without requiring a DHCP server. SLAAC uses the EUI-64 process or a random interface ID to create the host portion of the address.
Temporary IPv6 Address: A globally unique IPv6 address assigned by Windows that changes periodically to provide anonymity and prevent tracking of a device across external networks.

Topics

Ipv6 Link Local Address Global Unicast Address Unique Local Address Multicast Slaac Interactive Categorize

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