HP IPv6 3500yl, IPv6 6200yl, IPv6 2900, IPv6 5400zl Unspecified Address, IPv6 Address Deprecation

IPv6 Addressing

The Unspecified Address

The Unspecified Address

The “unspecified” address is defined as 0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0 (::/128, or just ::). It can be used, for example, as a temporary source address in multicast traffic sent by an interface that has not yet acquired its own address. The unspecified address cannot be statically configured on the switch, or used as a destination address.

IPv6 Address Deprecation

Preferred and Valid Address Lifetimes

Autoconfigured IPv6 global unicast addresses acquire their valid and preferred lifetime assignments from router advertisements. A valid lifetime is the time period during which an address is allowed to remain available and usable on an interface. A preferred lifetime is the length of time an address is intended for full use on an interface, and must be less than or equal to the address's valid lifetime.

End of

Preferred

Lifetime

	Address
Address “Preferred”	“Deprecated”
Valid Lifetime	Address
Address
Acquired	Removed

Figure 3-1. Valid and Preferred Lifetimes

When the preferred lifetime expires, the address becomes deprecated, meaning that the address should no longer be used as a source address (except for existing exchanges that began before the timeout occurred), but can still be used as a destination. When the timeout arrives for the valid lifetime, the address becomes unusable.

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