IPv6

Debido al crecimiento y las necesidades nuevas de Internet y sus usuarios, además de considerar el agotamiento del iPv4, se generó un nuevo protocolo que pudiera ajustarse mejor a los nuevos avances, iPv6. El objetivo central de la implementación de este protocolo es no reestringir el crecimiento de Internet y su uso. Asimismo, muchas de las herramientas actuales como el servicio de VPS Honduras administrado o VPS Honduras no administrado se han ajustado a las amplias facilidades que brinda el nuevo protocolo iPv6.

In an effort to improve IPv4, a fifth version, IPv5, was also created. However, it was an experimental protocol focused solely on improving the processing of audio, voice, and video streams. Later, since 1992, more comprehensive improvements to IPv4 were sought, leading to the creation of IPv6. This new protocol was designed by Steve Deering of Xerox PARC in 1999 but was officially launched on June 6, 2012. 

What is IPv6?

iPv6 es una actualización del protocolo iPv4 y está diseñada para resolver el problema del agotamiento de direcciones a través de la implementación de una nueva manera de crear direcciones IP o IP para VPS Honduras. Esta innovación permite que el sistema soporte una mayor cantidad de direcciones y dispositivos. En ese sentido, los servidores VPS Honduras brindan la opción a sus clientes de contar con más de una dirección IP para VPS Honduras tanto para el sistema VPS Honduras administrado como para el VPS Honduras no administrado.

The previous protocol, IPv4, allowed for 32-bit addresses, supporting just over 4 million addresses, which, over time and with exponential technological innovation, became insufficient. In contrast, IPv6 supports 128-bit addresses, allowing for 340 sextillion different IP addresses. This increase in the number of addresses is accompanied by the generation of longer and more complex IP addresses compared to the previous version. 

Pese a las innegables mejoras del protocolo, este sigue en fase de implementación. Por ejemplo, en Francia se encuentran al 72 %, en Estados Unidos al 51 %, Brasil 43 % y Honduras 25 % según reporta Google. Sin embargo, cabe destacar la adapatación de alunos servidores a este nuevo protocolo, como es el caso de VPS Honduras, el cual se ha visto potenciado en su capacidad de virtualización de las operaciones con la implementación del nuevo protocolo. A partir de este iPv6, los servidores VPS Honduras pueden brindarle la opción a sus clientes de contar con direcciones IP para VPS Honduras adicionales según se requiera. 

Asimismo, cabe mencionar que muchos de los servicios de VPS Honduras vienen preconfigurados con direcciones IP iPv4 para VPS Honduras e IP iPv6 para VPS Honduras, de modo que puedan adecuarse al sistema utilizado por el cliente. 

IPv6 addresses are composed of 128 bits divided into 8 groups of four hexadecimal digits (from 0 to F), where each digit represents 4 bits, meaning each segment has a value of 16 bits. Thus, IPv6 addresses can appear as follows: 2001:0DB8:85ª3:08D3:1319:8A2E:0370:7334.

As can be seen, the segments of IPv6 are separated by colons. Additionally, due to their length, IPv6 addresses have simplification rules, such as omitting the leading zero in each segment. Similarly, zero segments can be omitted, using a double colon (::) to replace contiguous 16-bit or longer segments composed only of zeros. For example, FE80:0:0:0:0:0:0:200 would become FE80::200. However, this rule cannot be used twice in the same address, so 2001:D08:0:0:20:0:0:200 could only be simplified to 2001:D08::20:0:0:200 or 2001:D08:0:0:20::200.

The format of IPv6 addresses is divided into 48 bits of global routing prefix, 16 bits for subnet ID, and 64 bits for interface ID.

Types of IPv6 Addresses

1. Unicast

Known as one-to-one addresses, these uniquely identify the interface of an IPv6-enabled device. They are subdivided into global unicast, link-local, loopback, unspecified address, unique local, and IPv4-embedded. 

1. Multicast

This type of address is one-to-many, meaning it is used to send a single IPv6 packet to multiple destinations.

1. Anycast

Anycast addresses, or proximity broadcast addresses, can be assigned to multiple devices.

Subtypes of Unicast

1. Global Unicast

Similar to IPv4 public addresses, their prefixes are assigned by IANA, so global IPv6 addresses start with 2001::/16. An example of global unicast addresses is 2001:4860:4877::9876.

1. Link-Local

Corresponds to IPv4 169.254.0.0/16, which in IPv6 is FE80::/10. These IPv6 addresses are only valid for communications within a local network segment. Routers do not forward any packet from these addresses.

1. Loopback

Corresponding to IPv4 address 127.0.0.0/8, in IPv6 it is ::1/128, abbreviated from 0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1. This type of unicast is used to send packets back to their origin and for testing. 

1. Unspecified Address

Corresponding to IPv4 address 0.0.0.0, in IPv6 it is ::/128. It is used as a source address when a unique address has not yet been determined and, for routing, it indicates a default static route. 

1. Unique Local

Similar to IPv4 private addresses, these fall within the range between FC00::/7 and FDFF::/7. These addresses are used within organizations and can only be routed within private networks. 

1. IPv4 Embedded

These are addresses that can be handled in both IPv4 and IPv6. They begin with 96 zero bits followed by the 32 bits of the IPv4 address. For example, they could look like this: ::123.25.134.2.

Benefits of Migrating to IPv6

As mentioned, the main objective of IPv6 is to improve the previous protocol (IPv4), so migrating to this protocol is recommended for five key reasons:

1. More connected devices

IPv6 enables better and newer services, as it is designed for a future of continuous expansion, without the addressing limitations of IPv4.

1. Improved security

IPv6’s new architecture incorporates enhanced security mechanisms.

1. Efficiency and simplicity

IPv6 allow for managed auto-configuration, making network administration simpler, such as when changing providers. 

1. Greater scalability

El elevado número de direccionamiento soporta iniciativas más complejas como las ciudades inteligentes, el Internet de las cosas, nuevas apicaciones y el desarrollo de nuevas plataformas para la prestación de servicios. Es así que también potencia las capacidades de servicios ya existentes como en el caso de los VPS Honduras administrados y VPS Honduras no administrados. 

1. Transparent process for the end user

IPv6 does not require users to have extensive technical knowledge; it only requires access to a compatible device.