IPv6 Client Mobility
Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is the next-generation network layer Internet protocol intended to replace version 4 (IPv4) in the TCP/IP suite of protocols. This new version increases the Internet global address space to accommodate users and applications that require unique global IP addresses. IPv6 incorporates 128-bit source and destination addresses, which provide significantly more addresses than the 32-bit IPv4 addresses.
To support IPv6 clients across controllers, ICMPv6 messages must be dealt with specially to ensure the IPv6 client remains on the same Layer 3 network. The controllers keep track of IPv6 clients by intercepting the ICMPv6 messages to provide seamless mobility and protect the network from network attacks. The ICMPv6 packets are converted from multicast to unicast and delivered individually per client. This process allows more control. Specific clients can receive specific Neighbor Discovery and Router Advertisement packets, which ensures correct IPv6 addressing and avoids unnecessary multicast traffic.
The configuration for IPv6 mobility is the same as IPv4 mobility and requires no separate software on the client side to achieve seamless roaming. The controllers must be part of the same mobility group. Both IPv4 and IPv6 client mobility are enabled by default.