Advantages Of Ipv6 Compared To Ipv4
What Are The Advantages of IPv6? – Radiocrafts
IPv4 has been the reigning Internet Protocol version for several decades now, even to this date. The IPv4 address space is 32-bits which allows for just over 2^32, or, 4 billion addresses which, up until now, has been sufficient. Recently, we are seeing a trend where virtually everything and anything is connected to the internet. Therefore, it is expected that soon enough, the 4 billion address spaces provided by the IPv4 will be used up.
This is where IPv6 comes into play, which is an extension of the IPv4 and was mainly deployed to fulfill the need for more internet addresses. The IPv6 address space is 128-bits which allows for over 2^128, or, 340 undecillion addresses. Undecillion? This sounds like a magic spell straight out of a Harry Potter book, but, it is actually a number that is equivalent to 340 trillion trillion, or, in a more visual sense, 340, 282, 366, 920, 938, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000 address spaces. Did you know that such a big number even existed? An increased number of IP addresses is the primary purpose and benefit for IPv6, but not the only one.
Therefore, in this blog post we will talk about what IPv6 actually is and what other benefits it has over its predecessor, IPv4. Finally, we will provide an example of a technology that uses IPv6 communication, which is Radiocrafts’ newest product line, RIIM™, Radiocrafts Industrial IP Mesh.
What is IPv6?
IPv6 is the latest version of the Internet Protocol, which identifies devices across the internet so they can be located. Every device that is identified through the internet has its own IP address in order for internet communication to work. The current industry norm is the IPv4 but is slowly being replaced with IPv6. IPv6, due to its more complex nature and immense amount of address spaces, is used more for the IoT industry.
The IPv6 protocol, which is 128-bits, consists of 8 numbered strings, and each containing 4 characters, separated by a colon. This gives us an unfathomable number of supported devices, 340 undecillions to be exact. So, with IPv6, rest assured that we will not be running out of IP address spaces anytime soon.
Other IPv6 Benefits:
More Efficient Routing – IPv6 reduces the size of routing tables and makes routing more efficient and hierarchical. In IPv6 networks, fragmentation is handled by the source device, rather than a router, using a protocol for discovery of the path’s maximum transmission unit.
More efficient packet processing – Compared with the IPv4, IPv6 contains no IP-level checksum, so the checksum does not need to be recalculated at every router hop.
Directed Data Flows – IPv6 supports multicast rather than broadcast. Multicast allows bandwidth-intensive packet flows to be sent to multiple destinations simultaneously, saving network bandwidth.
Simplified network configuration – IPv6 devices can independently auto-configure themselves when connected to other IPv6 devices. Configuration tasks that can be carried out automatically include IP address assignment and device numbering.
Security – IPSec security, which provides confidentiality, authentication, and data integrity, is engraved into IPv6.
Radiocrafts’ new product line, RIIM™, Radiocrafts Industrial IP Mesh, is an example of an RF technology which uses IPv6 communication.
RIIM™ and IPv6:
RIIM™ (Radiocrafts IP Mesh) is an embedded RF system designed to be an all-inclusive, easy to use mesh, with direct IP addressing. The RF protocol is the IEEE802. 15. 4 g/e standard. RIIM™ includes an Intelligent C-programmable I/O (ICI), which makes it possible to directly interface to any sensor or actuator, and, it supports Mist Computing. RIIM™ does not require any license or subscription fee.
The RIIM™ network uses 6LoWPAN packets in the RF network to enable IPv6 communication to each individual sensor/actuator. This makes RIIM™ directly compatible to most cloud services. Additionally, the mesh set-up is 100% automatic. Just add the PAN ID and the network will form itself using an algorithm that finds the most optimum path to reach individual nodes in the network, and, it stores the information in a routing table. You can monitor the quality of the links via the RIIM™ Network Dashboard. RIIM™ can also talk to devices that use IPv4.
To learn more about RIIM™ click here.
What to Take Away From This?
What you should take away from this blog post is that the IoT industry is rapidly changing. To be exact, it is growing at an annual rate of 28. 5% per year, which is unmatched by any other industry in the world. One part of this growth is the enormous increase in the amount of devices we are connecting to the internet. As we connect more devices to the internet, we require more address spaces. This is why IPv6 is so important, the 4 billion address spaces provided by IPv4 will eventually be used up so we need to adapt to the current needs and begin a shift towards IPv6. In order to do this, we need to understand what IPv6 actually is, its benefits, use cases, so that we can make an educated and informed business decision on, for example, using an RF technology with IPv6 communication capabilities such as RIIM™.
So, what is your opinion on IPv6? What impact do you think IPv6 will have in the IoT industry in the years to come? Do you disagree with any of the statements we have made? Use the comment section below to start a discussion, ask questions, or just to give feedback and say hi. Radiocrafts or another blog reader will answer!
Advantages of IPv6 over IPv4 – Team Discovery Ltd.
IPv4 address have approximately 4. 3 billion addresses and managed and distributed by Internet Assigned Numbers Authority(IANA) to the Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) in blocks of approximately 16. 8 million addresses each. The Internet Protocol Version 4 (IPv4) exhaustion started in 2011 for the pool of unallocated addresses. This depletion led to the research and development to the it’s next successor which is the Internet Protocol Version 6(IPV6) new Internet Protocol Version 6(IPv6) is the successor technology designed to address the problem. IPV6 supports approximately 3. 4×1038 network addresses which translate to equivalent of 340 trillion trillion trillion addresses in figures, that’s about 670 quadrillion addresses per square millimetre of the Earth’s table below will list the key differences between IPv4 and is to why IPv6 better. See the side by side comparison of IPv4 and IPv6 it’s six important areas showing the benefits of using IPv6? IPv4IPv6IPv6 has more addresses4. 3 billion addresses340 trillion trillion trillion addressesIPv6 networks are easier and cheaper to manageNetworks must be configured manually or with DHCP. IPv4 has had many overlays to handle Internet growth, which demand increasing maintenance efforts. IPv6 networks provide autoconfiguration capabilities. They are simpler, flatter and more manageable for large installations. IPv6 restores end-to-end transparencyWidespread use of NAT devices means that a single NAT address can mask thousands of non-routable addresses, making end-to-end integrity addressing is possible due to vast address space – the need for network address translation devices is effectively eliminated. IPv6 has improved security featuresSecurity is dependent on applications – IPv4 was not designed with security in is built into the IPv6 protocol, usable with a suitable key infrastructure. IPv6 has improved mobility capabilitiesRelatively constrained network topologies restrict mobility and interoperability capabilities in the IPv4 Internet. IPv6 provides interoperability and mobility capabilities which are already widely embedded in network devices. IPv6 encourages innovationIPv4 was designed as a transport and communications medium, and increasingly any work on IPv4 is to find ways around the the numbers of addresses, scalability and flexibility of IPv6, its potential for triggering innovation and assisting collaboration is adopting to IPv6 have some serious drawbacks and problems ahead for organisations. For more about the positives of IPv6 and the negatives of not using it, see below:IPv4 is OverOn the surface, the IPv4 world seems calm. However, the top-level body that assigns IPv4 addresses, IANA, announced as long ago as 2011 it had no more blocks of IPv4 left to distribute. The Asia-Pacific registry APNIC also hit IPv4 exhaustion in 2011, as did the European RIPE-NCC registry in 2012, and South American LACNIC in 2014. The North American registry, ARIN, announced in April 2014 it has also reached its final stages of IPv4. All registries strongly recommend immediate IPv6 adoption. IPv4 is done. It’s old technology. Your current IPv4 range may be enough for life support for some time yet, but if expansion or diversification is required, your networks will suffer. Any new technology requiring Internet access will push network demand to the limit. Yes, there are stop-gaps such as NAT boxes, but they are costly and require time-consuming expertise and maintenance. Far better to put scarce resources into something with a future, and to do it before IPv4 exhaustion becomes an Vint Cerf said on this issue, “Engineering in a crisis is never a good idea…”Things and Clouds Need IPv6Cloud computing is now fundamental to most enterprises, providing cheap, powerful resources such as databases, applications, security and system administration that cannot be afforded individually. IP addresses are critical for orchestrating cloud processes. To commission or decommission cloud virtual machines, multiple IP addresses need to be reserved or freed up with blinding speed. The IPv4-based Internet, increasingly hamstrung by NATs, cannot provide such functionality, and the required numbers of addresses simply do not exist in Internet of Things, the concept of communicating networks of independent devices, is estimated to reach twenty to thirty billion devices by 2020. Every networked device needs an address, and IPv4 has a hard limit of 4. 3 billion. IPv6 has 340, 282, 366, 920, 938, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000 billion addresses. IPv6 is the only technology that can scale to deal with massively distributed cloud infrastructure and the Internet of Things. IPv6 is On by DefaultAlmost all current device operating systems have working IPv6, many with IPv6 enabled by default. See Wikipedia’s comparison of IPv6 support in operating systems, and the IPv6 for Microsoft Windows FAQ. There is far more IPv6 traffic on most networks than commonly recognised. If enterprise firewalls have not been expressly configured to handle IPv6, then the enterprise is vulnerable to malicious traffic, no matter how sturdy the old IPv4 defences are. IPv6 is on by default, and can be accidentally or deliberately used to bypass usage and security Networks and IPv6While IPv6 remains uncommon, it will be used by those seeking to avoid attention. The most shadowy networks remain hidden except to devotees, but one well-known peer-to-peer filesharing network, the Pirate Bay, went to IPv6 two years ago after courts began ordering European ISPs to block Pirate Bay IPv4 addresses. IPv6 is also being used for free, fast Internet. In 2012, large numbers of students began downloading the IPv6Now tunnel client to avoid their slow ISP and use a free academic IPv6 server. Since then, the client has been downloaded tens of thousands of times worldwide. While not illegal, this is certainly flying under the radar of their network service you think your network’s not carrying IPv6, it just means you don’t know about ernment Use IPv6Governments worldwide take IPv6 very seriously. The US government has already transitioned to supporting IPv6 on all external services, and in 2014 mandated IPv6 for all internal services. The Australian Government met a deadline in 2012 for external services to be IPv6 capable. In Australia, the Department of Defence began its IPv6 migration in 2005. In the US, DREN, the defence research and engineering network, has dedicated significant effort to IPv6 implementations in everything from ‘network-centric warfare’ to networked uniforms. Governments in India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Vietnam, etc., have mandated IPv6-transition timetables. In April 2014, the Chinese government announced it would be providing 20 billion Chinese yuan (3. 2 billion US dollars) for IPv6 promotion and expansion. IPv6 transition is actively supported by governments Continuity Needs IPv6Connectivity is now essential to the viability of most enterprises. Management must always be aware of issues that will impact on service delivery. IPv4 exhaustion is a serious that will prevent enterprises from significantly expanding networks or taking competitive advantage of new features. Sadly, some levels of management dismiss IPv6 as a technical upgrade with no commercial relevance. Avoiding IPv6 is flimsy, even in light of governmental adoption globally, and not acting is a neglect of corporate responsibilities. Adopting IPv6 is a low-cost business continuity discovery are moving all their services to websites to IPV6 for future proofing.
6 Advantages of IPv6 to IPv4 Address – Hostname.com
On April 15, 2011, the internet officially ran out of IPv4 addresses, and people were terrified. “Since we’ve run out of IPv4 addresses, what will happen to our websites? ” “Does this mean we shouldn’t bother getting web hosting? ” “But I just registered my domain! Did I just waste my money? ” These were some of the questions being screamed by scared webmasters.
But, as it turns out, IPv6 isn’t scary at all. In fact, there are several advantages of IPv6 to IPv4. And in this guide, we’ll walk you through them.
But just so we know we’re on the same page…
An IP address is a numerical label assigned to every device that’s connected to the internet. Having an IP address allows a device to communicate with other devices that also have an IP address.
IPv4 stands for “Internet Protocol version 4”. It’s the original format for IP addresses, and it allowed for 4 billion unique IP addresses. That seemed like a lot of IP addresses in 1981 when there were relatively few devices that could connect to the internet. But now, not only do most people have multiple computers connected to the internet, but there are also smart cars, smart TVs and even smart refrigerators with IP addresses. No wonder we ran out!
Enter: IPv6.
IPv6 is the IP address format that was designed to supplement IPv4.
Comparing IPv6 to IPv4
IPv4 is a 32-Bit IP address whereas IPv6 is a 128-Bit IP address. This means it’ll take a lot longer to run out of IPv6 addresses than it took for us to run out of IPv4 addresses.
IPv4 is a numeric addressing method while IPv6 uses an alphanumeric addressing method. This is another reason it’ll be harder to run out of IPv6 addresses.
IPv4 includes checksum fields and IPv6 has none. Most technology already has checksum and error-control capabilities. Getting rid of IP-level checksum means that the checksum doesn’t need to be recalculated at every router hop.
IPv4 employs ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) to map to MAC address while IPv6 uses NDP (Neighbour Discovery Protocol) to map to MAC address. The Secure Neighbour Discovery (SEND) protocol can enable cryptographic confirmation that a host is who it claims to be at connection time. This makes Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) poisoning and other naming-based attacks more difficult.
IPv4 binary bits are separated by a dot whereas IPv6 binary bits are separated by a colon. This means IPv4 addresses typically look like this 121. 54. 021 while IPv6 addresses typically look like this 2012:6578:6574::7658.
See? Not so scary after all. And now that you understand a bit more about the comparisons of IPv6 to IPv4, what are the advantages of IPv6 to IPv4?
1. Simpler header format
IPv4 offers 12 header fields whereas IPv6 offers 8 header fields. The introduction of extension headers makes it possible to implement optional information into IPv6 packages much more effectively than with IPv4. Because routers on the delivery path of a package don’t process IPv6 extension headers, with IPv6, these are only read at the destination, which means a significant improvement of router performance.
2. More efficient routing
IPv6 reduces the size of routing tables, which makes routing more hierarchical and therefore more efficient. IPv6 also lets ISPs combine the prefixes of their customers’ networks into a single prefix. Additionally, with IPv6, the source device, rather than the router, handles fragmentation, using a protocol for discovering the path’s Maximum Transition Unit (MTU).
3. More security
Because IPv6 uses 128-bit addresses, the pool of possible addresses is 340 undecillion (3. 4×1038). IPv4’s 32-bit addresses allow for only 4. 3 billion addresses. A bigger pool of addresses obviously means more scalability, but, less obviously, it also means increased security. That’s because under the IPv6 system, host scanning and identification is more difficult for hackers.
When IPv4 was first developed, internet security wasn’t as much of an issue as it is today. This explains why the few security protocols available for IPv4 appear to have been developed as an afterthought. But IPv6 was built with security in mind. Many of the IPv4’s optional security requirements have been baked into IPv6 as default requirements. For instance, IPv6 automatically encrypts traffic and checks packet integrity. This gives standard internet traffic VPN-level protection.
4. True Quality of Service
Quality of Service (QoS) is a tool that lets you train your router to allocate specific portions of your available bandwidth to different applications. Good Quality of Service means, for example, your computer won’t struggle to play a video because it happens to be trying to download a massive file at the same time.
Quality of Service technically exists in IPv4, but it doesn’t actually work. Packets can technically be assigned different priorities, but routers usually just ignore the QoS flag, and some even mark all packets “Highest priority”, which, as you might imagine, defeats the purpose.
But IPv6 has an integrated mechanism for securing Quality of Service. It prioritises urgent packages, which makes handling those packages more efficient. It even has specialised fields (“traffic class” and “flow label”) that are directly responsible for ensuring Quality of Service.
5. Easier file-sharing.
With IPv6, there are two separate address spaces for private addressing. These are called “link-local” and “site-local”. A link-local address has lots of useful functions, including hosting auto configuration by simply querying the router (no DHCP necessary! ) and setting up ad-hoc LANs without a router. This means you can connect PCs and share files without having to bother with file-sharing protocols.
6. No more NAT (Network Address Translation).
Because there aren’t enough IPv4 addresses, much of the internet relies on NAT for connectivity. NAT was great for extending the life of IPv4, but it also forces every packet that enters or leaves your network to be examined and altered. And services that use multiple ports have a particularly hard time, since they need to undergo all sorts of cumbersome adjustments to work. With IPv6, every device can have its own unique IP address, which eliminates the need for NAT!
Understanding IPv6 helps us make better decisions, such as whether we should go ahead and create that website we’ve been dreaming about (Yes! ) and whether we should be staging protests to prolong the life of IPv4. (No. Now, please lower your placard. )
Frequently Asked Questions about advantages of ipv6 compared to ipv4
What are main advantages of IPv6 compared to IPv4?
Advantages of IPv6 over IPv4Why IPv6?IPv4IPv6 has more addresses4.3 billion addressesIPv6 networks are easier and cheaper to manageNetworks must be configured manually or with DHCP. IPv4 has had many overlays to handle Internet growth, which demand increasing maintenance efforts.4 more rows•Aug 5, 2016
What are four benefits of IPv6 over IPv4?
6 advantages of IPv6 to IPv4Simpler header format. IPv4 offers 12 header fields whereas IPv6 offers 8 header fields. … More efficient routing. … More security. … True Quality of Service. … Easier file-sharing. … No more NAT (Network Address Translation).Jul 27, 2020
How is IPv6 better than IPv4?
The Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is more advanced and has better features compared to IPv4. It has the capability to provide an infinite number of addresses. It is replacing IPv4 to accommodate the growing number of networks worldwide and help solve the IP address exhaustion problem.
