Chapter 36: Internet Layer (IPv6)

In this chapter, you will

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  Cover IPv6 addressing



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  Learn the characteristics of IPv6 routing



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  Learn the properties of IPSec security



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  Go over the various standard and optional headers supported by IPv6 packets

The TCP/IP protocol suite relies on the Internet Protocol to provide the lower-level services required to support transport and application layers in the stack. However, the current version of IP (IPv4) is now approximately 20 years old, and much has changed in the network world since that time—the Internet has become globally distributed, commercial transactions are conducted on the Internet, and the sheer number of connected hosts has given rise to routing, configuration, and address allocation problems. If these problems are not fixed, the Internet in its present form may cease to function at some future time as it reaches capacity. The IETF predicts that this may occur in 2008.