Question

Difficulty: MediumIPv6 Addressing Concepts and Header Structure

A network engineer is reviewing an enterprise IPv6 deployment plan and packet capture specifications. Match each IPv6 address prefix on the left with its correct operational scope or functional purpose on the right.

  • fe80::/10Used exclusively for non-routable communication within a single local link segment.
  • ff02::1:ff00:0/104Facilitates layer-2 to layer-3 address resolution as part of Neighbor Discovery Protocol (NDP).
  • fc00::/7Provides non-globally routable IPv6 addressing for internal site routing.
  • 2001:db8::/32Reserved for technical documentation, configuration examples, and educational content.

Answer

fe80::/10 matches link-local single-segment scope; ff02::1:ff00:0/104 matches solicited-node multicast for NDP; fc00::/7 matches unique local private addressing; and 2001:db8::/32 matches reserved documentation space.
Each IPv6 prefix corresponds directly to its defined architectural function: fe80::/10 is restricted to single-link operations; ff02::1:ff00:0/104 generates solicited-node multicast targets for NDP address resolution; fc00::/7 designates unique local addresses for internal enterprise routing; and 2001:db8::/32 is reserved globally for examples and documentation.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the scope of fe80::/10
Link-Local unicast prefix
Addresses starting with fe80:: are constrained to a single broadcast domain or link and are never forwarded by routers.
2
Identify the function of ff02::1:ff00:0/104
Solicited-Node Multicast range
Used by ICMPv6 Neighbor Discovery Protocol (NDP) Neighbor Solicitation messages to map IPv6 addresses to MAC addresses efficiently.
3
Identify the scope of fc00::/7
Unique Local Address (ULA) prefix
Serves a similar role to IPv4 RFC 1918 private IP addresses, allowing site-wide routing without Internet exposure.
4
Identify the purpose of 2001:db8::/32
Documentation IPv6 prefix
Allocated specifically to ensure sample configurations and text documentation do not accidentally overlap with operational production addresses.

Key Concept

IPv6 Address Prefixes and Operational Scopes
Rate this question