Windows 7 / Networking

Identifying IPv6 Address Types

As Table 1 shows, you can quickly determine which type of IPv6 address you are dealing with by looking at the beginning part of the address-that is, the high-order bits of the address. Tables 2 and 3 also show examples of common IPv6 addresses that you can recognize directly from their colon-hexadecimal representation.

Table-1 Identifying IPv6 Address Types Using High-Order Bits and Address Prefix

Address TypeHigh-Order BitsAddress Prefix
Global unicast0012000::/3
Link-local unicast1111 1110 10FE80::/64
Unique local unicast1111 1101FD00::/8
Multicast1111 1111FF00::/8

Table-2 Identifying Common IPv6 Multicast Addresses

FunctionScopeRepresentation
All-nodes multicastInterface-localFF01::1
All-nodes multicastLink-localFF02::1
All-nodes multicastInterface-localFF01::2
All-nodes multicastLink-localFF02::2
All-nodes multicastSite-localFF05::2

Table-3 Identifying Loopback and Unspecified IPv6 Addresses

FunctionRepresentation
Unspecified address (no address)::
Loopback address::1

Note For information on IPv6 address types used by different IPv6 transition technologies, see the section titled "Planning for IPv6 Migration" later in this tutorial.

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In this tutorial:

  1. Deploying IPv6
  2. Understanding IPv6
  3. Understanding IPv6 Terminology
  4. Understanding IPv6 Addressing
  5. Understanding IPv6 Prefixes
  6. Understanding IPv6 Address Types
  7. Understanding Unicast Addresses
  8. Identifying IPv6 Address Types
  9. Understanding Interface Identifiers
  10. Comparing IPv6 with IPv4
  11. Understanding IPv6 Routing
  12. How IPv6 Routing Works
  13. IPv6 Route Determination Process
  14. IPv6 Routing Table Structure
  15. Understanding ICMPv6 Messages
  16. Understanding Neighbor Discovery
  17. Understanding Address Autoconfiguration
  18. Understanding Name Resolution
  19. Understanding Name Queries
  20. Understanding Name Registration
  21. PTR Records and IPv6
  22. IPv6 Enhancements in Windows 7
  23. Summary of IPv6 Enhancements in Windows 7
  24. Configuring and Troubleshooting IPv6 in Windows 7
  25. Configuring IPv6 in Windows 7 Using the User Interface
  26. Configuring IPv6 in Windows 7 Using Netsh
  27. Other IPv6 Configuration Tasks
  28. Enabling or Disabling IPv6
  29. Disabling Random Interface IDs
  30. Resetting IPv6 Configuration
  31. Displaying Teredo Client Status
  32. Troubleshooting IPv6 Connectivity
  33. Planning for IPv6 Migration
  34. Blocking Teredo
  35. Understanding ISATAP
  36. Migrating an Intranet to IPv6
  37. Step 1: Upgrading Your Applications and Services
  38. Step 2: Preparing Your DNS Infrastructure
  39. Step 3: Upgrading Your Hosts
  40. Step 4: Migrating from IPv4-only to ISATAP
  41. Step 5: Upgrading Your Routing Infrastructure
  42. Step 6: Upgrading Your DHCP Infrastructure
  43. Step 7: Migrating from ISATAP to Native IPv6
  44. The Advantages of IPv6
  45. Address Resolution in IPv6