Book excerpt: If your organization is gearing up for IPv6, this in-depth book provides the practical information and guidance you need to plan for, design, and implement this vastly improved protocol. Author Silvia Hagen takes system and network administrators, engineers, and network designers through the technical details of IPv6 features and functions, and provides options for those who need to integrate IPv6 with their current IPv4 infrastructure. The flood of Internet-enabled devices has made migrating to IPv6 a paramount concern worldwide. In this updated edition, Hagen distills more than ten years of studying, working with, and consulting with enterprises on IPv6. It’s the only book of its kind. IPv6 Essentials covers: Address architecture, header structure, and the ICMPv6 message format IPv6 mechanisms such as Neighbor Discovery, Stateless Address autoconfiguration, and Duplicate Address detection Network-related aspects and services: Layer 2 support, Upper Layer Protocols, and Checksums IPv6 security: general practices, IPSec basics, IPv6 security elements, and enterprise security models Transitioning to IPv6: dual-stack operation, tunneling, and translation techniques Mobile IPv6: technology for a new generation of mobile services Planning options, integration scenarios, address plan, best practices, and dos and don’ts