IPv6

from The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)
Internet Protocol version 6
IPv6

   <networking, protocol> (IPv6, IPng, IP next generation) The
   most viable candidate to replace the current {Internet
   Protocol}.  The primary purpose of IPv6 is to solve the
   problem of the shortage of {IP addresses}.

   The following features have been purposed: 16-byte addresses
   instead of the current four bytes; embedded {encryption} - a
   32-bit {Security Association ID} (SAID) plus a variable length
   initialisation vector in {packet} headers; user
   {authentication} (a 32-bit SAID plus variable length
   {authentication} data in headers); autoconfiguration
   (currently partly handled by {Dynamic Host Configuration
   Protocol}); support for {delay-sensitive traffic} - a 24 bit
   flow ID field in headers to denote voice or video, etc.

   One possible solution is based on the {TUBA} protocol (RFC
   1347, 1526, 1561) which is itself based on the {OSI}
   {Connectionless Network Protocol} (CNLP).  Another is {TP/IX}
   (RFC 1475) which changes {TCP} and {UDP} headers to give a
   64-bit {IP address}, a 32-bit {port} number, and a 64 bit
   sequence number.

   {RFC 1550} is a white paper on IPng.

   IPv6.org (http://ipv6.org/).

   ["Doubts About IPng could create TCP/IP chaos", Johna Till
   Johnson, Data Communications, Nov 1994].

   (2004-06-17)