Cisco Packet Tracer and IPv6 Addressing...

Cisco Packet Tracer and IPv6 Addressing

Yesterday, I used Cisco Packet Tracer for the first time in several weeks.

I completed a Cisco Packet Tracer exercise from "Module 4: IPv6" in the Network Addressing and Basic Troubleshooting online class from the Cisco Networking Academy. 

The exercise involved configuring IPv6 on a router, two servers, and four computers.

The exercise was fairly simple. It involved opening the Cisco IOS on the router, activating IPv6, and then setting the IPv6 host address for the router as well as entering the IPv6 address for the default gateway.

After that, it was a simple matter of entering the IPv6 host address and the IPv6 address for the default gateway for each host (the laptop and desktop computers) and the servers.

The last step of the exercise involved running ping tests from each host to ensure that they can contact the internet service provider.

Cisco Packet Tracer and IPv6 Addressing

In Conclusion

All-in-all, the IPv6 addressing exercise was a relatively simple one to execute. Still, it's good to get the feet wet and get some experience using IPv6. For IT, IPv6 is the wave of the future. It's just a matter of time before IPv6 replaces IPv4 when it comes to addressing for computer networks. I will be working on another IPv6 addressing exercise for Cisco Packet Tracer later this morning.

Module 4: IPv6 Addressing...

Starting New Course Module

Yesterday, I F-I-N-A-L-L-Y started "Module 4: IPv6 Addressing" in the Network Addressing and Basic Troubleshooting Course from the Cisco Networking Academy.

Module 4: IPv6 Addressing

The first three modules in the online course ("Physical Layer", "Data-Link Layer", and "Routing at the Network Layer") took longer than anticipated to complete.

I am far behind where I want to be in terms of completing this online course.

What is IPv6?

In its simplest form, Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is the new method for assigning addresses to hosts on a computer network. IPv6 was designed to eventually replace Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4), which is/was the most popular method for assigning addresses to hosts on a computer network. IPv4 is starting to lose its usage dominance to IPv6 due to a variety of factors. The main reason why IPv6 is being adopted widely is that we are running out of unique IPv4 addresses to use. Why are we running out of IPv4 addresses to use? Well, for computer netowrks to operate properly, each host on the network needs its own unique IP address IOT communicate with other hosts on the network. Due to the explosion of desktop computers, laptop computers, servers, printers, switches, routers, cell phones, tablets, wearable technology, and the Internet of Things, the pool of available IPv4 addresses has been nearly exhausted. As a result, IPv6 was created to solve the issue of IPv4 address exhaustion. In addition, IPv6 was designed to be more flexible than the rigid structure of IPv4. Thus, IPv6 is in many ways radically different from IPv4, yet IPv6 serves the same purpose. Plus, like everything in IT, the technology changes. When technology changes, there is usually greater flexibility and more options available.

Here are two examples of an IPv4 address:

• 192.168.1.5
• 185.107.80.231

Here are two examples of an IPv6 address:

• 2001:0000:9d38:6ab8:1c48:3a1c:a95a:b1c2
• 0123:4567:89ab:cdef:0123:4567:89ab:cdef

See the differences between IPv4 and IPv6 addresses?

Here is a good chart that shows the differences between IPv4 and IPv6 addresses that just happened to show up on my LinkedIn feed recently.

Differences between IPv4 and IPv6 addresses

Anyway, the time to start implementing IPv6 is now.

The time to start learning how to use IPv6 is now.

Like I wrote earlier, the purpose/function of IPv6 is the same as IPv4. However, it is quite different from IPv4 in many ways.

Just know that there is A LOT of information out there on the internet that covers the differences between IPv4 and IPv6. I kid you not. I just might even make my own contribution to about information about IPv6 on the internet. I haven't decided.

That said, I STILL need to read Chapters 11, 12, 13, and 14 on IPv4 Addressing in the CCNA 200-301 Official Cert Guide. I keep putting it off. Well, guess what? That needs to change. I need to sit down and work through those four chapters as IPv4 won't be going away any time soon.

To be honest, when I originally studied for the CCNA certification from Cisco, I got bogged down in the chapters for Part III: Implementing VLANs and STP. Therefore, I never made it to Part IV: IPv4 Addressing.

I will have to work on rectifying that as soon as possible.