Differences: IPv4 vs IPv6

Differences between: IPv4 vs. IPv6:

• Size of IP address 

  • IPv4: 32-Bit IP Address.

  • IPv6: 128 Bit IP Address.

• Number of header fields

  • IPv4: 12

  • IPv6: 8

• Length of header filed:

  • IPv4: 20

  • IPv6: 40

• Example 

  • IPv4: 123.44.132.15 

  • IPv6: 2001:0ca6:0000:0000:0000:dd00:0082:52a9

• Type of Addresses

  • IPv4: Unicast, broadcast, and multicast. 

  • IPv6: Unicast, multicast, and anycast.

• Number of classes 

  • IPv4: Offers five different classes of IP Address, Class A to E. 

  • lPv6 Allows storing an unlimited number of IP Address.

• Configuration You have to configure a newly installed system before it can communicate with other systems. In IPv6, the configuration is optional, depending upon on functions needed.

• VLSM support IPv4 support VLSM (Virtual Length Subnet Mask). IPv6 does not offer support for VLSM.

• Routing Information Protocol (RIP)

  • IPv4: Supports RIP routing. 

  • IPv6: Does not support RIP routing, uses static routes.

• Network Configuration 

  • IPv4: Networks need to be configured either manually or with DHCP. 

  • IPv6: Support auto-configuration capabilities.

• Address Masks:

  • IPv4: Designated network from host portion. 

  • IPv6: Not used.

• SNMP (protocol used for system management):

  • IPv4: SNMP is supported. 

  • IPv6: SNMP is not support.

• Mobility and Interoperability:

  • IPv4: Relatively constrained network topologies to which move restrict mobility and interoperability capabilities. 

  • IPv6: Provides interoperability and mobility capabilities which are embedded in network devices.

• Packet size:

  • IPv4: 576 bytes required, optional fragmentation. 

  • IPv6: 1208 bytes required without fragmentation.

• Packet Fragmentation: 

  • IPv4: Fragmentation is done by sending and forwarding routes. 

  • IPv6: Fragmentation is done by the sender.

• Packet header: 

  • IPv4: Does not identify packet flow for QoS handling which includes checksum options. 

  • IPv6: Packet head contains Flow Label field that specifies packet flow for QoS handling

• DNS records:

  • IPv4: Address (A) records, maps hostnames 

  • IPv6: Address (AAAA) records, maps hostnames

• Local subnet Group management:

  • IPv4: Internet Group Management Protocol GMP) 

  • IPv6: Multicast Listener Discovery (MLD)

• Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) [network security]:

  • IPv4: Optional, not designed with security in mind

  • IPv6: Mandatory, usable with a proper key infrastructure

• Address configuration:

  • IPv4: Manual or via DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) whenever they connect to a network 

  • IPv6: Stateless address autoconfiguration using ICMPv6 (Internet Control Message Protocol version 6) or DHCPv6

• Mobile devices compatibility:

  • IPv4: address uses dot-decimal notation, which is not ideal for mobile networks. 

  • IPv6: address uses colon-separated hexadecimal notation, which is better suited for mobile networks.

• IP to MAC resolution:

  • IPv6: Broadcast ARP 

  • IPv6: Multicast Neighbour Solicitation

• Mapping IP Address to MAC address:

  • IPv4:Uses ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) .

  • IPv6:Uses NDP (Neighbour Discovery Protocol).

• Optional Fields:

  • IPv4: Has optional fields 

  • IPv6: No optional fields, has extension headers (if needed).

• Checksum:

  • IPv4: Has checksum fields.

  • IPv6: Does not have checksum fields.