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IPv6 Address Types and Scope

CCNA: 0 to Hero - Comprehensive Network Engineering Bootcamp

Lesson 19: IPv6 Address Types and Scope

IPv6 primarily uses three types of addresses, classified by scope:

  1. Global Unicast Address (GUA): Equivalent to a public IPv4 address. Globally unique and routable on the Internet. Starts typically with 2000::/3.
  2. Unique Local Address (ULA): Equivalent to private IPv4 addresses. Unique within an organization but not routable on the global Internet. Starts with FC00::/7.
  3. Link-Local Address (LLA): Used for communication only on the local link (single segment). Automatically generated and required on every IPv6 interface. Starts with FE80::/10.

Multicast and Anycast

  • Multicast (FF00::/8): Used to send a single packet to a defined group of devices. Used heavily for dynamic routing protocol communication (e.g., OSPFv3).
  • Anycast: A single address assigned to multiple interfaces (typically routers) geographically dispersed. The packet is delivered to the nearest interface holding that address.