Windows Server 2012 : Configuring IPv6/IPv4 interoperability (part 1) - IPv6 concepts and terminology

6/5/2014 9:42:14 PM

1. IPv6 concepts and terminology

While some IPv6 concepts and terminology are similar to those for IPv4, others are quite different. The following list is a brief summary of some of the important IPv6 terminology you should be familiar with to begin developing an IPv6 migration plan for your organization. Figure 1 illustrates how many of these concepts are interrelated. Additional IPv6 terminology is introduced later in this lesson when appropriate.

Node A device that can be configured with an IPv6 address. Examples of nodes include hosts and routers.
Host A node that can be either the source of or a destination for IPv6 traffic. Hosts are not able to forward IPv6 packets that are explicitly addressed to them. Instead, they silently discard such packets.
Router A node that is able to forward IPv6 packets not explicitly addressed to itself. Routers advertise their presence on a network. They also advertise host configuration information.
Link A collection of network interfaces that use the same 64-bit IPv6 unicast address prefix and which includes hosts but not routers. Links are bounded by routers and are also referred to as network segments or subnets.
Interface A representation for how a node is attached to a link. An interface can be either of the following:
- Physical For example, a network adapter in a server.
- Logical For example, a tunnel interface that encapsulates IPv6 packets inside an IPv4 header to send IPv6 traffic over an IPv4-only network.
Address An identifier that designates either the source or destination of an IPv6 packet. IPv6 addresses are assigned at the IPv6 layer of an interface. The different types of IPv6 addresses are described later in this lesson.
Neighbors Nodes connected to the same link. In IPv6, neighbors are able to detect and monitor reachability with one another by using a process called Neighbor Discovery.
Network Two or more links connected together by routers.
Site An autonomously operated IPv6 network that is connected to the IPv6 Internet.

Figure 1. Basic IPv6 networking concepts.

IPv6 and the TCP/IP protocol architecture

As Figure 2 illustrates, the TCP/IP protocol networking stack on the Microsoft Windows platform is implemented using a dual IP layer approach. This means for example that

Only a single implementation of transport layer protocols such as Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) or User Datagram Protocol (UDP) is needed for both IPv4 and IPv6 communications.
Only a single implementation of framing layer protocols—such as Ethernet (802.3), Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP), and mobile broadband (802.11)—is needed for both IPv4 and IPv6 communications.

This dual IP layer TCP/IP stack is implemented on the following Windows platforms:

Windows 8
Windows 7
Windows Vista
Windows Server 2012
Windows Server 2008 R2
Windows Server 2008

Figure 2. The dual IP layer TCP/IP protocol stack.

Note

IPv6 on Windows platforms

Because IPv6 functionality is essentially the same on Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2008 R2, and Windows Server 2008, all information presented in the remainder of this lesson applies to these specific Windows platforms unless explicitly stated otherwise. IPv6 functionality in earlier Windows platforms, such as Windows XP and Windows 2003, is more limited and therefore is not covered in this lesson.