Week 4 - TCP/IP Routing

TCP/IP is a series of protocols used to transmit data over the internet. What is a protocol you ask? Well, a protocol is a set of rules that computers use to talk to each other. This communication happens on the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and Internet Protocol (IP). TCP prepares data by breaking it down into packets, and IP makes sure these packets get sent and delivered from one computer to another.

IPv4 vs IPv6

When data packets arrive at the router, the router needs to know where the data came from and where to send the data. This is what the IP address is for. An IP address is a 32-bit label that is unique to that device, so in transmitting data, there is a source IP and a destination IP. Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) is the 32-bit number that was created back in 1983. There are over 4 trillion unique addresses available, but that still wasn’t enough. In the 2000s, developers started to create Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6). This version is still in the process of replacing IPv4 and officially became an Internet Standard in 2017. With the rapid growth of the internet and its users, developers had to develop a 128-bit identifier. The problem with this is that IPv4 and IPv6 were not designed to be interoperable, so the switch has been more complicated than developers would have liked.

When it comes to routing, IPv6’s larger address space makes room for address allocation hierarchy which allows route aggregation and the expansion of routing tables. There is also device mobility and security that was considered when developing IPv6.

 

Here is a more detailed blog about why IPv6 adoption has been so slow at being implemented: 
https://www.auvik.com/franklymsp/blog/ipv6-network-design/

Also, here is a report card on the state of deployment of IPv6 and who is currently using it:
https://www.internetsociety.org/resources/2018/state-of-ipv6-deployment-2018/

Personally, I don't have any experience with IPv6 yet, but hopefully soon!

What experience have you had? What are some of the pros/cons you have heard about IPv6?

References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_address
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPv6
https://www.sangoma.com/how-ip-routing-works/