Table of contents
3. What is the difference between IPv4 and IPv6?
3. The number of fields in the header area
7. Compatibility with mobile devices
The IP protocol (Internet Protocol) is one of the most important communication protocols in the Internet Protocol Group (IPS), which is mainly used for network devices (such as computers, computers, Ethernet switches for a single network or a series of interconnected networks to search data packets). address and routing, and is responsible for forwarding it from one network to another. Currently, the IP protocol has two versions, IPv4 and IPv6. I believe many people are not familiar with them, and they are even less clear about the difference between IPv4 and IPv6. This article IPv4 and IPv6 will be introduced in detail, so that you can make a more informed decision on the selection of network equipment later.
1. What is IPV4?
IPv4, the fourth version of the Internet Protocol, is the datagram transmission mechanism used by computer networks. This protocol was the first widely deployed IP protocol. Every device connected to the Internet (whether it is a switch, PC or other devices) will be assigned a unique IP address, such as 192.149.252.76, as shown in the figure below, IPv4 uses 32-bit (4-byte) addresses, about 4.3 billion addresses are stored, but as more and more users connect to the Internet, the global IPv4 addresses have been exhausted in November 2019. This is also one of the reasons why the subsequent Internet Engineering Task Force (IEIF) proposed IPv6.
2. What is IPV6
IPv6 is the sixth version of the Internet protocol proposed by IEIF, which is used to replace the next-generation protocol of IPv4. Its proposal not only solves the problem of lack of network address resources, but also solves the obstacles for various access devices to access the Internet. The address length of IPv6 is 128 bits, which can support more than 340 trillion addresses. As shown in the figure below, 3ffe:1900:fe21:4545:0000:0000:0000:0000, this is an IPv6 address, IPv6 addresses are usually divided into 8 groups, 4 hexadecimal numbers are a group, and colons are used between each group separated.
3. What is the difference between IPv4 and IPv6?
IPv4 and IPv6 are used for user identification and communication between different devices on the Internet. IPv4 is a 32-bit IP address, while IPv6 is a 128-bit IP address. IPv4 addresses are numbers, separated by dots. IPv6 is an alphanumeric address separated by colons.
We detail the IPv4 and IPv6 types separately. Now, we can compare these types and find out the main differences between these two protocols. We list eight major differences between IPv4 and IPv6.
1. Address type
IPv4 has three different types of addresses: multicast, broadcast, and unicast. IPv6 also has three different types of addresses: anycast, unicast, and multicast.
2. Packet size
For IPv4, the minimum packet size is 576 bytes. For IPv6, the minimum packet size is 1208 bytes.
3. The number of fields in the header area
IPv4 has 12 header fields while IPv6 supports 8 header fields.
4. Optional fields
IPv4 has optional fields, IPv6 does not. However, IPv6 has extension headers that allow the protocol to be extended in the future without affecting the main packet structure.
5. Configuration
In IPv4, newly installed systems must be configured to communicate with other systems. In IPv6, configuration is optional, which allows selection based on desired functionality.
6. Security
In IPv4, security mainly depends on websites and applications. It is not an IP protocol developed for security. IPv6 integrates the Internet Protocol Security Standard (IPSec). Unlike IPv4, the network security of IPv6 is optional, and the network security items in IPv6 are mandatory.
7. Compatibility with mobile devices
IPv4 is not suitable for mobile networks because, as we mentioned earlier, it uses dotted decimal notation, while IPv6 uses colons and is a better choice for mobile devices.
8. Main functions
IPv6 allows direct addressing because of the large number of possible addresses. However, IPv4 is widely spread and supported by many devices, which makes it easier to use.