16.1 INTRODUCTION

This chapter deals with the method taken by a host takes in determining how to autoconfigure its interfaces in IPv6. The autoconfiguration operation incorporates creating a link-local address and verifying its individuality on a link, and determining what data needs to be autoconfigured such as the addresses and other information. It is important to note the process involved in creating a link-local address, the procedure for creating site-local and global addresses through stateless address autoconfiguration, and the Duplicate Address Detection operation.

16.2 IPV6 STATELESS ADDRESS AUTOCONFIGURATION

When dealing with addresses, it is also important to determine whether they need to be acquired through the stateless mechanism and/or the stateful mechanism. IPv6 looks at both stateless and stateful address autoconfiguration methods. Stateless autoconfiguration needs no manual configuration of hosts, has minimal configuration of routers, and has no additional servers. The stateless mechanism permits a host to create its own addresses through a combination of locally available information and information advertised by routers. Routers advertise prefixes which determine the subnets affiliated with a link. This occurs while hosts create an interface token that individually identifies an interface on a subnet. Linking them both creates an address. When there aren't any routers, a host can only create link-local addresses. Nonetheless, link-local addresses are adequate for permitting communication among nodes attached to the same link.

When dealing with a stateful autoconfiguration model, hosts acquire interface addresses as well as configuration information and parameters from a server. Servers keep a database which records...