IPv6

IPv6 addresses consist of 128 bits, allowing for a much greater address space. IPv6 addresses can be shortened in two manners.

Leading 0s can be dropped in 64 bit block (4 hexadecimal digits)
A “::” can be used to represent consecutive 0s spanning multiple fields, but can only be used once! This can be used in the beginning, end or middle of the address.
An example of IPv6 shortening is the following

0001:0002:0000:0000:0000:0000:000A:2310

The above address can be abbreviated as follows.

1:2::A:2310

RIPng, OSPF, BGP4+, and Integrated IS-IS are capable of serving as IPv6 routing protocols.

When connecting IPv6 and IPv4 networks, there are a few things to consider. Dual stack hosts allow for connectivity to both types of networks. If traffic of one version is needed to cross another version, say IPv4 information over IPv6, information can either be tunneled across the foreign network, or a translation can be done.