Since 1st January 2009 the COOLHOUSING.NET serverhosting network fully natively supports the IPv6 protocol. Along with the standard number of IPv4 addresses the /64 range of addresses is also provided for all hosting models. Current clients can request their IPv6 range of addresses at a later date. Those unsure what the IPv6 offers will find information in the following introduction.

The IPv6 Protocol, earlier designated IPng (next generation) is a more permanent solution of shortage problems. Extension of IPv6 is a lengthy process and Coolhousing Company is one of the first hosting companies that made a step in this direction.

The IPv6 address is 128 bit long (IPv4 = 32 buts), which make the number of possible addresses 2128 ≈ 3×1038. The result can be called an astronomical number. However large part of the addresses in IPv6 have to be reserved and the address space cannot be completely utilized, there is enough addresses to provide each device connected to the Internet with unique address. For better understanding with IPv6 each person on the Earth could own a range of the size of the current Internet.

The IPv6 address is entered as eight groups of four hexadecimal digits in three ways. The first method is called “straight-hex”, when each word is entered s a (four digit) hexadecimal number.

805B:2D9D:0C28:0000:0000:FC57:D4C8:1FFF

The “leading zero suppressed” method is slightly more efficient. “leading zero suppressed“. The leading zeros in each group can be skipped and the zero words can be shortened to one digit. The above mentioned address can therefore be entered as

805B:2D9D:C28:0:0:FC57:D4C8:1FFF

The “zero-compressed” method is another efficient method where several successive zeros are replaced by the “::” signs. The original address can be entered as:

805B:2D9D:C28::FC57:D4C8:1FFF

This method is frequently used for prefixes for addresses ending with zeros or for special addresses, such as loopback, whose format ::1 is more direct than 0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:0001.

The IPv6 address architecture defines RFC 4291. In introduces three types of addresses:

• Individual (unicast)identifying single network interface. Assigned by a method resembling rather the CIDR than A, B and C Classes
• Group (multicast)identify a group of network interfaces, to whose members the data should be delivered to. Group addressed datagram is recommended for all group members, therefore it replaces the broadcast from IPv4. It’s support in IPv6 is mandatory!
• Selective (anycast)identifies a group of network interfaces, where one IP address can be assigned to several nodes simultaneously, but only the “closest” one should react (respond).

The address space is distributed as follows:

Selected addresses don’t have reserved their own part of the address space. These are mixed with individual ones and it is a question of local configuration, so the node recognizes them, whether they are individual or selected addresses.