Internet protocol IPv6

Breadcrumbs: [The Future of Ubiquitous Computing] --> [Driving Forces:Technological FoUC] --> Internet Protocol IPv6

Description

Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is a network layer protocol for packet-switched internetworks. It is designated as the successor of IPv4, the current version of the Internet Protocol, for general use on the Internet.

The main improvement brought by IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6) is the increase in the number of addresses available for networked devices, allowing, for example, each mobile phone and mobile electronic device to have its own address. IPv4 supports 232 (about 4.3 billion) addresses, which is inadequate for giving even one address to every living person, let alone supporting embedded and portable devices. IPv6, however, supports 2128 addresses; this is approximately 5×1028 addresses for each of the roughly 6.5 billion people alive today. If we do the calculations the IPv6 supports approximately 3.341*10^13 which is 33,410,000,000,000 and thus provides enough addresses for every grain of sand on the planet to have its own IP address many times over.