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Cisco CCNA 1.9 Cisco CCST Networking 2.3 CompTIA Network+ 3.4
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IPv6 Address Type Identifier

Is each packet's address unicast, multicast or anycast? Sort the cases by how the packet is delivered.

⚑ Complete this interactive to capture a CTF flag worth 5 points.

About this interactive

IPv6 has three kinds of address, and the difference is who receives a packet sent to it. A unicast address belongs to one interface, and the packet goes to that interface: one to one. Link-local, unique local and global unicast addresses, and the loopback address ::1, are all unicast. A multicast address names a group, and every device that joined the group takes the packet: one to many. IPv6 has no broadcast; where IPv4 broadcast, IPv6 sends to a group such as all nodes on the link, ff02::1. Anycast is the odd one. Several devices, often far apart, are given the same address, and the routers deliver each packet to just one of them, the nearest by routing distance. Public DNS resolvers and content networks use it so that users reach the closest server. Because an anycast address is taken from unicast space, it looks exactly like an ordinary global unicast address: nothing in the hex gives it away, only how it is set up. Nine of the twenty-four cards are drawn each run, and after you check, every card says which kind of address it is and why.

What you'll learn

Aligned to

Cisco CCNA
1.9 Describe IPv6 address types
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

IPv6 Unicast Address
An IPv6 address that identifies a single network interface, with packets delivered to that specific interface.
IPv6 Multicast Address
An IPv6 address in the FF00::/8 range used to deliver packets to multiple subscribed interfaces simultaneously.
Anycast
A transmission type where data is sent to an anycast address and delivered to only one of several devices associated with that address, typically the nearest or best-available one.
Broadcast
A transmission type in which one device sends a single packet that is delivered to every other device on the local network segment simultaneously. Broadcast traffic is contained within a broadcast domain and does not cross router boundaries.
Global Unicast Address
GUA
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.

Topics

Ipv6 Address Types Unicast Multicast Anycast Interactive Categorize

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