Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) greatly improves on IPv4 by vastly increasing the number of available addresses and by enabling more efficient routing, simpler configuration, built-in IP security, better support for real-time data delivery, and other essential enhancements. Find out all about this next-generation IP—from its features and benefits to its packet structure and protocol processes—in UNDERSTANDING IPV6. This book-plus-CD package thoroughly discusses IPv6 protocols and processes and describes how IPv6 is supported in the latest versions of the Microsoft® Windows® operating system, including the upcoming Windows Server 2003 family. It also describes transition technologies that allow you to deploy IPv6 in IPv4 intranets and across the IPv4 Internet. It’s ideal for any network administrator, consultant, engineer, technician, or student who wants to understand the importance of IPv6 and how it works and begin planning to transition to IPv6 internetworking.Topics covered include: Features and benefits of IPv6 IPv6 in the Windows Server 2003 family IPv6 addressing and the IPv6 header Internet Control Message Protocol for IPv6 (ICMPv6) Neighbor and multicast listener discovery Address autoconfiguration IPv6 name resolution and routing Coexistence and migration IPv6 mobility Appendixes: Link layer support for IPv6 Changes to Windows Sockets in IPv6 An IPv6 RFC index Answers to self-test questions about IPv6 Reference tables Plus how to set up an IPv6 test lab To learn of IPv6 developments that have occurred since publication of this book download Updates to Understanding IPv6, a white paper by author Joseph Davies.Winner of a Distinguished Award and the Best of Show at the Puget Sound Chapter of the Society for Technical Communication (STC), January 2004). Winner of a Distinguished Award at the International STC competition, May 2004.A Note Regarding the CD or DVDThe print version of this book ships with a CD or DVD. For those customers purchasing one of the digital formats in which this book is available, we are pleased to offer the CD/DVD content as a free download via O"Reilly Media"s Digital Distribution services. To download this content, please visit O"Reilly"s web site, search for the title of this book to find its catalog page, and click on the link below the cover image (Examples, Companion Content, or Practice Files). Note that while we provide as much of the media content as we are able via free download, we are sometimes limited by licensing restrictions. Please direct any questions or concerns to booktech@oreilly.com.