IPv6 Address Plan Considerations
Due to IPv6`s substantially bigger address space than IPv4, logical and practical addressing strategies can be defined with a great deal of flexibility. You can assign subnet prefixes using a variety of logical schemes that take into account both the IP Addressing Guide’s listed factors and extra IPv6-specific considerations, such as:
- Using already-in-use IP addressing schemes. Converting VLAN IDs into IPv6 subnet IDs and existing subnet numbers into IPv6 subnet IDs.
- Updating your IP address strategy to assign IPv6 addresses based on your requirements. You can allocate when revamping IP addressing systems in accordance with your needs.
Such a logical addressing scheme can simplify network management, troubleshooting, operations, and service provision. Your addressing strategy should take into account the following elements:
- Prefix Aggregation: If network designers do not thoroughly pursue prefix aggregation, large IPv6 addresses may bloat routing tables.
- Network expansion: It’s crucial to consider network expansion while designing the address infrastructure.
- Use of special local addresses (RFC4193): Like IPv4, IPv6 has a private address space. The main difference is that IPv4 allows each organization access to the same private address space. With IPv6, there is only one network and only one globally unique address space. This private address space can be used to address hardware and software not connected to the Internet.
We will look at the factors you should take into account when developing an IPv6 address plan for a service provider network.
What is IPv6 Address Planning?
Prerequisites: Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) and what is IPv6?
A new IP protocol, called Internet Protocol (IP) version 6, is intended to replace IP version 4, which is currently in use and deployed worldwide. The latest IP version, IPv4, has proven to be reliable, easy to implement, and easy to use. It is interoperable and has passed the tests that make the internet a real global utility. However, the original design of IPv4 did not consider the following situations:
- Requirements for IP-level security.
- The rapid expansion of the internet and depletion of IPv4 address space.
- Need for easier auto-configuration and renumbering of network devices.
- Requirements for real-time data delivery also called quality of service.
With the help of methods such as Network Address Translation and private address spaces, IPv4’s life has been extended (NAT). While these methods appear to extend the address space and accommodate traditional client/server configurations, they do not meet the demands of increasing IP addresses. IP address translation, pooling, and temporary assignment techniques cannot be used to connect to always-on environments (such as private internet via broadband, cable modem, or DSL). Additionally, plug-and-play requirements for consumer Internet devices are in addition to address requirements. The IPv6 address space offers more addresses but should be used with caution. You can successfully deploy IPv6 using your existing IPv4 infrastructure. Converting from IP version 4 to IP version 6 is still possible today with proper planning and design.