IPv6 Interface Identifiers and Physical Address Mapping
In IPv4, IP addresses have no relationship to the addresses used for underlying data link layer network technologies. A host that connects to a TCP/IP network using an Ethernet network interface card (NIC) has an Ethernet MAC address and an IP address, but the two numbers are distinct and unrelated in any way. IP addresses are assigned manually by administrators without any regard for the underlying physical address.
With the overhaul of addressing in IPv6, an opportunity presented itself to create a better way of mapping IP unicast addresses and physical network addresses. Implementing this superior mapping technique was one of the reasons why IPv6 addresses were made so large. With 128 ...
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