Chapter 4. The IPv6 Header

At the end of this chapter, you should be able to do the following:

  • Describe the structure of an IPv6 packet.

  • List and describe the fields in the IPv4 header.

  • List and describe the fields in the IPv6 header.

  • Compare and contrast the fields in the IPv4 header with the fields in the IPv6 header.

  • List and describe each IPv6 extension header.

  • Describe the IPv6 maximum transmission unit (MTU).

  • Describe the new pseudo-header used for upper-layer checksums.

Structure of an IPv6 Packet

An Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) packet consists of an IPv6 header, extension headers, and an upper-layer protocol data unit. Figure 4-1 shows the structure of an IPv6 packet.

Figure 4-1. The structure of an IPv6 packet

The components of an IPv6 packet ...

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