Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) has been developed to enhance the Internet's future . It is intended to replace IPv4, as the main Internet communication protocol, primarily because of the lack of available IP addresses with IPv4. In addition to a large address space (128-bits), IPv6 comes with new features and mechanisms, such as StateLess Address AutoConfiguration (SLAAC), Neighbor Discovery (ND), header extension, enhanced mobility, etc., which will facilitate a user's ability to communicate.
Despite the fact that IPv6 still maintains much of IPv4's semantics and that two of its protocols have similar functionalities, IPv6 is incompatible with IPv4. IPv6 has its own addressing scheme, so it poses new challenges for routers concerning, for instance, the growth of the forwarding table or the integration of routing algorithms. Moreover, IPv6 and IPv4 headers are mutually exclusive since some fields have been removed, changed, added or expanded for their use in IPv6. Therefore, along with others, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) has been working on several transition mechanisms in an attempt to ensure a smooth migration to IPv6.
Since security and privacy are two of the top priorities in today's networks, the research team of Prof. Dr. Christoph Meinel has focused on identifying, mitigating, and protecting against possible risks during IPv6 deployments. In doing this, the research team hopes to contribute to a more reliable and trustworthy network and Internet environment.
