IPv6 Multicast Addresses for Group Communication

IPv6 Multicast Addresses

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Question

You have been asked to configure an IPv6 address for a group of interfaces that could belong on different routers. If a packet is sent to that address, it should be received by all routers in the group.

Which address type would be suited for these requirements?

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Explanations

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A. B. C. D.

B

The address type that would be suited for the given requirements is Multicast.

Multicast is an IPv6 address type that enables efficient communication to multiple hosts simultaneously. In a multicast communication scenario, a single packet is sent from a source host to multiple destination hosts in a single transmission. These destination hosts are identified by a single multicast address that represents a group of hosts.

In the given scenario, the requirement is to configure an IPv6 address for a group of interfaces that could belong on different routers. The key requirement is that if a packet is sent to that address, it should be received by all routers in the group. This is a classic use case for multicast addressing.

When configuring multicast addressing, the first 16 bits of the multicast address are fixed, and the remaining 112 bits are available for defining the multicast group. Multicast addresses have the prefix FF00::/8, and the low-order 32 bits are used to specify the multicast group.

In IPv6, routers join multicast groups by sending an Internet Group Management Protocol version 6 (IGMPv6) message to the multicast address of interest. When a packet is sent to a multicast address, all hosts that have joined the corresponding multicast group receive the packet.

Unicast addresses are used for one-to-one communication between a single sender and a single receiver. Anycast addresses are used for one-to-one-of-many communication, where a packet is sent to one of many possible receivers based on routing considerations. Broadcast addresses are not used in IPv6, as multicast addresses provide a more efficient and scalable solution.

In summary, the address type that would be best suited for the given requirements is Multicast.