IP addresses are a fundamental part of the Internet. They identify computers or devices connected to the network. The current version of IP (Internet Protocol) is IPv4. Will we run out? There are only 4 billion IPv4 addresses left. That means that around 40 million new IP addresses become available daily, and this number is expected to drop to zero within the next decade.
IPv6 was created to solve this problem. It has 128-bit addresses instead of 32-bit ones and uses a new addressing format, allowing for much larger numbers of addresses.
Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) is the standard protocol used for Internet communication, and IPv6 is replacing the current version of IP. This article explains what IPv4 and IPv6 are, how they differ (IPv4 vs IPv6), and why you should care.
The Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) was developed in 1983 by the U.S. Department of Defense and has been used ever since. It uses 32-bit addresses, and these addresses are divided into three parts: network address, subnet mask, and host identifier.
A network address contains an octet number and a broadcast address. Octets represent individual units of information, such as binary zeros and ones. A network address consists of eight bits, which represent 256 different values. For example, the value 0x01010000 is equal to 10.0.1.128.
Broadcast Address – A broadcast address is a special type of network address that tells all hosts on a given network whether or not a packet should be delivered to them. Broadcast packets contain no destination address. And instead, they have a destination address of 255.255.255.255. Each time you send a packet to this address, every computer on your local network receives it.
A subnet mask defines how many of the first 8 bits of each IP address are actually used, and the remaining 24 bits are set to zero. Subnets are groups of computers that share common characteristics and usually include similar hardware and software. For instance, if you live in a small town, you probably want to join a group with other people who also live there.
Each computer on your network has a unique ID called its host identifier. Host identifiers define what kind of device a particular computer is. For instance, a router might have a host identifier of 192.168.10.100. You can use the host identifier to identify specific devices on your network.
When you send a packet from one computer to another, the source computer calculates the destination address and sends the packet out through the network. At this point, the packet is sent to the router. The router looks at the destination address and determines where to forward the packet. If the destination address matches the router’s address, then the router forwards the packet to the correct interface. Otherwise, the router drops the packet.
If the router doesn’t know where to forward the packet, it will try to find the next hop. To do this, it checks the router table. The router table lists known routers that connect to the current router. When the router finds a match, it updates the entry in the table so that future packets will be forwarded to the corresponding router.
If the router cannot route the packet, it will attempt to find a default gateway. A default gateway is a router that connects directly to the internet, and Routers don’t always have a default gateway. However, when a router does not have a default gateway, it assumes that the closest router connected to the internet is the default gateway.
The final step is to update the forwarding tables on the router. The router uses these tables to determine where to forward any subsequent packets.
IPv6 is an extension of the existing IPv4 protocol. It provides greater flexibility than IPv4. IPv6 offers better security because it uses stronger encryption techniques. IPv6 also supports more advanced features such as Quality of Service (QoS) and Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS).
IPv6 Addresses – An IPv6 address consists of eight groups of hexadecimal digits separated by colons. Each group represents 16 bits of data. An IPv6 address is 128 bits long.
A typical IPv6 address has two parts:
For example, the following is an IPv6 address: 2001:0DB8:0000:C000::1/64
This address is composed of three parts:
IPv6 has two parts: the network layer and the transport layer.
Network Layer
The network layer provides a reliable mechanism for sending and receiving data between computers. If a user wants to send a file to someone else, they must first establish a connection between their computers. Once the connection is established, the sender transmits the file to the receiver.
To transmit the file, the sender needs to know what port the receiver is listening on. Port numbers are assigned by IANA, which stands for Internet Assigned Numbers Authority. Each device has a specific port number associated with it. For example, if you’re working on a laptop, the port number might be 8080.
Transport Layer
The transport layer handles all the details involved in transmitting data. One of the main functions of the transport layer is to ensure that packets arrive safely at their destinations. Packets are broken up into smaller pieces called datagrams, and these datagrams are then transmitted across the internet until they reach their destination.
Each packet contains an identifier called a “header” that tells routers where to send the packet. The header also includes the destination address, and the router uses the destination address to determine whether or not to forward the packet.
Once the router receives the packet, it sends a copy of itself as a response. The router waits for the other end to acknowledge receipt of the packet. When the acknowledgement arrives, the router knows that the packet arrived successfully.
There are many reasons why you should care about IPv6. Here are just a few of them:
Increased Security –IPv6 offers greater security than IPv4 because it doesn’t use 32-bit addresses. Instead, each computer gets its 64-bit address. Because of this, hackers have less chance of guessing your IP address, and they’ll need to guess both the network and host portion of your address instead of just one.
Improved Performance – Because IPv6 is based on 128-bit addresses, it can route traffic faster than IPv4. This means you’ll get better speeds when using IPv6 than IPv4.
More Addresses – With IPv6, there’s no limit to how many IP addresses you can use, and it’s possible to create billions of unique addresses. This means that you won’t ever run out of IP addresses again.
Better Compatibility – Since IPv6 is backward compatible with IPv4, you don’t have to worry about upgrading your equipment. All of your existing devices will work fine with IPv6.
More Reliable Service – Since IPv6 uses 128-bit addresses, you can be sure that your service will always be available. With IPv4, things could go wrong at any time, and your service may become unavailable due to hardware problems, power failures, etc.
More Secure Communication – Since IPv6 uses 128-bits instead of 32-bits, it’s more secure than IPv4. Hackers will have more difficulty breaking into your system since they’ll need to guess two different parts of your address instead of one.
More Efficient Routing –IPv6 is designed to make it easier for routers to route packets. Since IPv6 is based on long addresses, routers don’t have to do as much processing. This results in improved performance.
Regarding networking, IPv4 and IPv6 are very similar, and they provide users with the same basic services. However, there are several differences between the two versions, and here are just a few:
The internet is changing, it is becoming more complex, and we see many technological changes. One of these changes is the transition from IPv4 to IPv6. The transition from IPv4 to 6 is taking place slowly but surely. As we move forward, we must consider all aspects of our business, including security, reliability, scalability, cost, and performance. We hope you enjoyed this article about the difference between ipv4 and ipv6.
