Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) expands the number of network address bits from 32 bits (in IPv4) to 128 bits which provides more than enough globally unique IP addresses for every networked device on the planet. The unlimited address space provided by IPv6 allows Cisco to deliver more and newer applications and services with reliability, improved user experience, and increased security.

Implementing basic IPv6 connectivity in the Cisco software consists of assigning IPv6 addresses to individual device interfaces. You can also enable IPv6 traffic forwarding globally, and Cisco Express Forwarding switching for IPv6. You can enhance basic connectivity functionality by configuring support for AAAA record types in the Domain Name System (DNS) name-to-address and address-to-name lookup processes and by managing IPv6 neighbor discovery.

IPv6 addressing is supported for Cisco Catalyst 8000V instances running on Amazon Web Services. To know how to configure the IPv6 functionalities for your instance, see the IPv6 Addressing and Basic Connectivity Configuration Guide.