Ever wonder how your devices are connected to a computer network. There is always an IP address assigned to each devices that uses IP protocol for communication. In this article we will discuss IPv4 and IPv6 version of Internet Protocol.
Table of Contents
What is Internet Protocol?
An IP address is a unique value assigned to each device connected to a computer network that uses the IP protocol for communication. An IP address is an identifier for a specific device on a particular network. The IP address is also called an IP number or Internet address.
IPv4 and IPv6 are the versions of the Internet Protocol in which IPv6 is the latest version.
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What is IPv4?
The fourth version of IP, IPv4, sets the guidelines for computer networks that operate on the idea of packet exchange. It can use an addressing system to identify devices connected to the network uniquely. Any time a device connects to the Internet (whether it’s a switch, PC, or another device), it receives a particular IP address in the form of a number, like the one below, 190.150.250.49. The 32-bit IPv4 address system stores 2^32 addresses (4.19 billion addresses).
The number of end users connected to the Internet is growing, which causes IPv4 addresses to run out. IPv6, the new Internet addressing system is currently being implemented to meet the demand for more Internet addresses.
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Features of IPv4:
- It uses a Connectionless protocol
- IPv4 requires less memory as there are a limited number of addresses
- Security of IPv4 allows encryption to maintain security and privacy
- IPV4 addresses are redefined. This permits flawless encoding
- Offers video library and conferences
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What is IPv6?
In 1999, IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version 6) was introduced due to concerns that there would soon be a shortage of IP addresses. It permits data and communication transfer through a network. A total of 2^128 Internet addresses are supported by IPv6, a 128-bit IP address. Utilizing IPv6 not only tackles the issue of scarce network address resources but also removes obstacles that prevent various access devices from connecting to the Internet. An example of an IPv6 address
might be as follows:
2ffe:1800:fe11:4545:0000:0000:0000:0001.
Features of IPv6:
- Larger Address space compared to IPv4
- Stateful and Stateless Address Configuration
- Efficient and Hierarchical Addressing
- Routing Infrastructure
- Better support for QoS
Difference between IPv4 and IPv6
| Parameter | IPv4 | IPv6 |
| Size | IPv4 is a 32-bit length address represented in decimal format. | IPv6 is a 128-bit length address represented in hexadecimal format. |
| Classification | 32-bit is divided into 4 octets. Each octet is separated by a dot (.) | 128-bit is divided into 8 parts and each part has 2 octets. Each octet is separated by a colon (:) |
| Class | IPv4 addresses are divided into 5 classes Class A, Class B, Class C, Class D, and Class E | IPv6 addresses are not divided into classes |
| Configuration | It supports manual and DHCP configuration | It supports auto-configuration and renumbering configuration |
| Connection | End-to-end connection integrity is not achieved in IPv4 | End-to-end connection integrity can be achieved in IPv6 |
| Routing Information Protocol | IPv4 supports RIP at the router end | As IPv6 uses static routes RIP is not supported by IPv6 |
| Fragmentation | Fragmentation is done at the sender and receiver ends both | Fragmentation is done at the sender’s end |
| Packet Flow | Packet flow identification is not available | Packet flow identification is available, also the flow label field in the header |
| Checksum | Checksum filed is present in IPv4 which is used to detect corruption in the header of IPv4 packets | As UPD checksum is mandatory in IPv6. Hence header checksum is redundant |
| Transmission | It Broadcasts the data | It multicast and anycast the data. Thus, efficient network operation is provided |
Conclusion
IPv4 has 4.20×109 unique network addresses whereas IPv6 has 3.4×1038 unique addresses which solve most of IPv4’s limitations and are removed by IPv6, which also adds additional capabilities and functionality to simplify the task of the network administrator. The modifications are intended to improve the management experience in areas where IPv6 and IPv4 are notably different.
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FAQs
What is Internet Protocol?
An IP address is a unique value assigned to each device connected to a computer network that uses the IP protocol for communication. An IP address is an identifier for a specific device on a particular network. The IP address is also called an IP number or Internet address. IPv4 and IPv6 are the versions of the Internet Protocol in which IPv6 is the latest version.
What is IPv4?
The fourth version of IP, IPv4, sets the guidelines for computer networks that operate on the idea of packet exchange. It can use an addressing system to identify devices connected to the network uniquely. Any time a device connects to the Internet (whether itu2019s a switch, PC, or another device), it receives a particular IP address in the form of a number, like the one below, 190.150.250.49. The 32-bit IPv4 address system stores 2^32 addresses (4.19 billion addresses).
What is IPv6?
In 1999, IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version 6) was introduced due to concerns that there would soon be a shortage of IP addresses. It permits data and communication transfer through a network. A total of 2^128 Internet addresses are supported by IPv6, a 128-bit IP address. Utilizing IPv6 not only tackles the issue of scarce network address resources but also removes obstacles that prevent various access devices from connecting to the Internet.
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