Updated: July 13, 2020 (April 24, 2000)
Charts & IllustrationsIPv4 vs. IPv6 Feature Comparison
| IP Service | IPv4 | IPv6 |
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Address Space
An IP address (either v4 or v6) allows machines on the Internet to find each other. In an ideal world, each network device (PC, cell phone, etc.) has one or more unique IP addresses. |
The 32-bit address space supports a maximum of 4.3 billion devices. Due to inefficient address assignments in the early years of the Internet, only a small fraction of this maximum can be used. IPv4 address depletion is the number one reason for moving to IPv6. | The 128-bit address space provides virtually unlimited devices and solves the address space problem for at least a decade or two. |
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Quality of Service (QOS)
QOS guarantees each application some minimum level of performance from the network. For example, videoconference data delivery must be nearly real time. E-mail can be delivered as soon as practical. |
Uses a process of queue management to prioritize multimedia traffic on a “best effort” basis. There is usually no ironclad guarantee |
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