COMPUTER NETWORK AND SECURITY
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER NETWORK
PHYSICAL LAYER
DATA LINK LAYER
NETWORK LAYER
Transport Layer
Multiple Choice Question
Application Layer
Network Security
Multimedia and Future Networking
COMPUTER NETWORK LAB WORK
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IPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4) and IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6) are two versions of the Internet Protocol, each with its own addressing scheme. Here's a comparison of IPv4 and IPv6 addressing:

Address Length:

  • IPv4:

    • Addresses are 32 bits long.
    • Limited to approximately 4.3 billion unique addresses.
    • Written in dotted-decimal format (e.g., 192.168.0.1).

  • IPv6:

    • Addresses are 128 bits long.
    • Provides an enormous address space, approximately 3.4 x 10^38 unique addresses.
    • Written in hexadecimal notation separated by colons (e.g., 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334).

Address Notation:

  • IPv4:

    • Uses dotted-decimal notation (e.g., 192.168.0.1).
    • Limited address space led to the use of NAT (Network Address Translation) for address reuse.

  • IPv6:

    • Uses hexadecimal notation with colons (e.g., 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334).
    • No need for NAT due to the vast address space, allowing for globally unique addresses.

Address Configuration:

  • IPv4:

    • Manual configuration or DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) for automatic address assignment.
    • Stateless Address Autoconfiguration (SLAAC) can be used but is less common.

  • IPv6:

    • Manual configuration, DHCPv6, or Stateless Address Autoconfiguration (SLAAC) for automatic address assignment.
    • SLAAC is often used, allowing devices to generate their own addresses based on the network prefix.

Subnetting:

  • IPv4:

    • Subnetting is common and follows classful or classless addressing with subnet masks.
    • Variable Length Subnet Masking (VLSM) is widely used.

  • IPv6:

    • Subnetting is more flexible, and CIDR (Classless Inter-Domain Routing) is the standard practice.
    • Subnet masks are expressed using CIDR notation.

Header Size:

  • IPv4:

    • Header is 20 bytes minimum (without options).
    • Options are part of the main header, leading to larger headers for certain packets.

  • IPv6:

    • Header is fixed at 40 bytes.
    • Options are placed in separate extension headers, allowing for a more streamlined main header.

Broadcast:

  • IPv4:

    • Supports broadcast communication (e.g., 192.168.0.255).
    • Broadcast can lead to network congestion.

  • IPv6:

    • No broadcast communication.
    • Uses multicast and anycast for similar functionalities.

Fragmentation:

  • IPv4:

    • Fragmentation is handled by routers.
    • Fragments may be needed when passing through networks with different MTUs.

  • IPv6:

    • Fragmentation is typically handled by the source.
    • Routers can specify that packets are not to be fragmented.

Address Configuration:

  • IPv4:

    • Manual configuration or DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) for automatic address assignment.
    • Stateless Address Autoconfiguration (SLAAC) can be used but is less common.

  • IPv6:

    • Manual configuration, DHCPv6, or Stateless Address Autoconfiguration (SLAAC) for automatic address assignment.
    • SLAAC is often used, allowing devices to generate their own addresses based on the network prefix.

Security Features:

  • IPv4:

    • Originally lacked built-in security features.
    • Security features, such as IPsec, were optional and less widely implemented.

  • IPv6:

    • Includes built-in security features, with IPsec support mandated in the IPv6 protocol.
    • Enhanced security at the network layer.

IPv6 was developed to address the limitations of IPv4, especially the exhaustion of address space. Its design includes improvements in addressing, header structure, and security features. While IPv6 adoption is increasing, IPv4 continues to be widely used, and various transition mechanisms exist to facilitate coexistence.

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