RFC 4862 / START HERE
SLAAC, before the details
SLAAC: Stateless Address Autoconfiguration
SLAAC lets an IPv6 device form addresses using information advertised by routers, without a server individually leasing each address.
The idea in one picture
A router advertises a prefix
A device forms an address
It checks for a duplicate
A simplified picture of the idea; the chapters explain the actual mechanisms.
Why it exists
Devices need a way to configure IPv6 addresses automatically and check whether an address is already in use on the link.
A familiar example
A phone learns an IPv6 network prefix, forms an address, and checks for a duplicate before using it.
Helpful background
You can start here without reading another RFC. If these ideas are unfamiliar, these short introductions may help.
What you’ll learn next
Begin with chapter one, or choose a topic.
- Form a tentative link-local addressAn enabled interface combines the link-local prefix with an interface identifier.→
- Check a tentative address for duplicatesDuplicate Address Detection uses Neighbor Discovery before assigning a tentative unicast address.→
- Combine an advertised prefix and identifierA suitable Prefix Information option with the Autonomous flag can drive global address formation.→
- Track preferred and valid lifetimesAn address can stop being preferred before it stops being valid.→
- Renumber without an instant cutoverA host can hold old and new addresses while advertised prefixes and lifetimes change.→
This introduction explains RFC 4862 (2007). Read the original RFC ↗