RFC 1885 (rfc1885) - Page 3 of 20

Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMPv6) for the Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6)

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RFC 1885                 ICMPv6 (ICMP for IPv6)            December 1995


1. Introduction

   The Internet Protocol, version 6 (IPv6) is a new version of IP.  IPv6
   uses the Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) as defined for IPv4
   [RFC-792], with a number of changes.  The Internet Group Membership
   Protocol (IGMP) specified for IPv4 [RFC-1112] has also been revised
   and has been absorbed into ICMP for IPv6. The resulting protocol is
   called ICMPv6, and has an IPv6 Next Header value of 58.

   This document describes the format of a set of control messages used
   in ICMPv6.  It does not describe the procedures for using these
   messages to achieve functions like Path MTU discovery or multicast
   group membership maintenance; such procedures are described in other
   documents (e.g., [RFC-1112, RFC-1191]).  Other documents may also
   introduce additional ICMPv6 message types, such as Neighbor Discovery
   messages [IPv6-DISC], subject to the general rules for ICMPv6
   messages given in section 2 of this document.

   Terminology defined in the IPv6 specification [IPv6] and the IPv6
   Routing and Addressing specification [IPv6-ADDR] applies to this
   document as well.


2. ICMPv6 (ICMP for IPv6)

   ICMPv6 is used by IPv6 nodes to report errors encountered in
   processing packets, and to perform other internet-layer functions,
   such as diagnostics (ICMPv6 "ping") and multicast membership
   reporting.  ICMPv6 is an integral part of IPv6 and MUST be fully
   implemented by every IPv6 node.


2.1 Message General Format

   ICMPv6 messages are grouped into two classes: error messages and
   informational messages.  Error messages are identified as such by
   having a zero in the high-order bit of their message Type field
   values.  Thus, error messages have message Types from 0 to 127;
   informational messages have message Types from 128 to 255.

   This document defines the message formats for the following ICMPv6
   messages:









Conta & Deering             Standards Track
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