
272 Part Two • IPv6 Protocols
to configure themselves using DHCP servers. The protocols are con-
sidered stateful because the DHCP/DHCPv6 servers maintain tables
containing the IP addresses and link layer addresses of all the nodes
that use their services. The servers use that state to prevent two or
more nodes from using the same IP address.
Stateless autoconfiguration In less formally composed networks, IPv6
allows nodes to configure themselves—that is, assign themselves
their own IPv6 addresses—without the aid of a server. There is no
central or authoritative repository for IPv6 addresses assigned
through stateless autoconfiguration.
Router and network ...