Chapter 4. Routing on IPv6

“Computers in the future may weigh no more than one and one half tons.”

—Popular Mechanics, 1949

After reading this chapter, you will understand the main differences between the routing protocols that are deployed over IPv6 networks. The IPv6 version of the interdomain routing protocol Border Gateway Protocol (BGP-4) and intradomain routing protocols such as Routing Information Protocol (RIP), integrated Intermediate System-to-Intermediate System (IS-IS), and Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) are similar to their equivalents in IPv4.

This chapter's main goal is to present an overview of the updates and changes applied on these routing protocols to support IPv6 rather than describe in detail each routing protocol's complete specifications, mechanisms, and applicability.

Throughout this chapter are configurations and examples of IPv6-supported routing protocols using the Cisco IOS Software technology to show you how to deploy them in your networks. More specifically, the examples show you how to configure, enable, and manage BGP, RIP, IS-IS, and OSPF with IPv6 support using Cisco IOS Software technology.

Finally, with the configuration exercise, you can practice the commands you learn in this chapter and configure some of the routing protocols that are supported by IPv6.