RFC 9915 / START HERE
DHCPv6 current, before the details
DHCPv6: updated IPv6 configuration specification
DHCPv6 is the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol for IPv6. It supplies managed configuration, including address assignments and prefix delegation.
The idea in one picture
A client requests configuration
A server manages the allocation
The client uses its settings
A simplified picture of the idea; the chapters explain the actual mechanisms.
Why it exists
This publication revises the earlier DHCPv6 specification. It is a new RFC edition of DHCPv6, rather than a new Internet Protocol version.
A familiar example
An Internet provider delegates an IPv6 prefix to a customer's router, which can then address its home networks.
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.
- Choose a two-message or four-message exchangeDHCPv6 supports information-only exchanges and allocation exchanges with an explicitly negotiated Rapid Commit alternative.→
- Keep address and prefix associations distinctIA_NA carries non-temporary address associations; IA_PD carries delegated-prefix associations.→
- Use binding lifetimes and contact timers correctlyT1/T2 contact behavior and the preferred/valid lifetime of individual bindings are different pieces of state.→
- Carry link context in a relay envelopeRelay-forward encapsulates a client message and Relay-reply returns it along the relay chain.→
- Separate configuration from trust and privacyConfiguration can influence routing-adjacent behavior and server choices; messages and identifiers create security and privacy concerns.→
This introduction explains RFC 9915 (2026). Read the original RFC ↗