RFC 3849 (rfc3849) - Page 1 of 4

IPv6 Address Prefix Reserved for Documentation

Network Working Group                                          G. Huston
Request for Comments: 3849                                       Telstra
Category: Informational                                          A. Lord
                                                                   APNIC
                                                                P. Smith
                                                                   Cisco
                                                               July 2004


             IPv6 Address Prefix Reserved for Documentation

Status of this Memo

   This memo provides information for the Internet community.  It does
   not specify an Internet standard of any kind.  Distribution of this
   memo is unlimited.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2004).

Abstract

   To reduce the likelihood of conflict and confusion when relating
   documented examples to deployed systems, an IPv6 unicast address
   prefix is reserved for use in examples in RFCs, books, documentation,
   and the like.  Since site-local and link-local unicast addresses have
   special meaning in IPv6, these addresses cannot be used in many
   example situations.  The document describes the use of the IPv6
   address prefix 2001:DB8::/32 as a reserved prefix for use in
   documentation.

1.  Introduction

   The address architecture for IPv6 [1] does not specifically allocate
   an IPv6 address prefix for use for documentation purposes.
   Documentation material is currently using address prefixes drawn from
   address blocks already allocated or assigned to existing
   organizations or to well known ISPs, or drawn from the currently
   unallocated address pool.  Such use conflicts with existing or future
   allocations or assignments of IPv6 address space.

   The problems such conflicts may cause have already been encountered
   with IPv4 where literal use of documented examples in a production
   environment causes address and routing conflicts with existing
   services.  In making an explicit allocation of a documentation
   address prefix, it is intended that such operational problems may be
   avoided for IPv6.



Huston, et al.               Informational