The existing Internet operates based on the IPv4 protocol. IPv6 is the next version of Internet protocol. It was originally proposed because with the rapid development of the Internet, the limited address space defined by IPv4 will be exhausted, and the shortage of address space will definitely affect the further development of the Internet. In order to expand the address space, it is suggested to redefine the address space through IPv6. IPv4 uses 32-bit address length, with only about 4.3 billion addresses, which is estimated to be allocated in 2005 ~ 20 10, while IPv6 uses 128-bit address length, which can provide almost unlimited addresses. According to the conservative method, the actual assignable addresses of IPv6 can be estimated, and the assignable addresses per square meter of the whole earth exceed 1000. In the design process of IPv6, besides solving the problem of address shortage once and for all, other problems that IPv4 can't solve well are also considered. The main advantages of IPv6 are: expanding the address space, improving the overall throughput of the network, improving the quality of service (QoS), ensuring better security, supporting plug and play and mobility, and better realizing the multicast function.

Obviously, the advantages of IPv6 can directly or indirectly contribute to the above challenges. The most prominent one is that IPv6 has greatly expanded the address space, restored the original end-to-end connection function lost due to the limited address (for example, under the ipv4 protocol, sending an email from Guilin must first go through Beijing, then to San Francisco, then to new york, then to Shanghai, and finally to Nanning, which greatly increases the time and is unsafe), and provides the basic conditions for the popularization and deepening development of the Internet. Of course, IPv6 is not perfect and cannot solve all problems once and for all. IPv6 can only be continuously improved in the process of development, and cannot be achieved overnight. Transition takes time and cost, but in the long run, IPv6 is beneficial to the sustained and long-term development of the Internet.