【Using English】43 - What is The

Confused by phrases like Internet Protocol (IP), IPv6, IPv4 and IPng? Webopedia explains the difference between IPv4 and IPv6, and looks at the topic of migrating to a 128-bit address space.

被这些词语困扰：网络协议，IPv6, IPv4，和IPng？Webopedia(Wekipedia模仿者？)解释了IPv4与IPv6的区别，并且关注了迁移到128位地址空间的话题。

What is Internet Protocol (IP)?

IP (short for Internet Protocol) specifies the technical format of packets and the addressing scheme for computers to communicate over a network. Most networks combine IP with a higher-level protocol called Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), which establishes a virtual connection between a destination and a source.

IP(网络协议，Internet Protocol的缩写)定义了数据包的技术格式和计算机通过网络通讯的寻址方案。大多数的网络用更高层的协议TCP(传输控制协议)包含在一起，TCP协议可以建立目的地和源地址的虚拟链接。

IP by itself can be compared to something like the postal system. It allows you to address a package and drop it in the system, but there's no direct link between you and the recipient. TCP/IP, on the other hand, establishes a connection between two hosts so that they can send messages back and forth for a period of time.

IP本身就好比邮政系统。它允许给数据包写好地址并丢到这个系统中，但是你和接受着之间没有直接的链接。另一方面，TCP/IP在两个主机之间建立链接，以便双方可以回复信息并且持续一段时间。

Internet Protocol Versions

网络协议版本

There are currently two version of Internet Protocol (IP): IPv4 and a new version called IPv6. IPv6 is an evolutionary upgrade to the Internet Protocol. IPv6 will coexist with the older IPv4 for some time.

到目前为止，有两个版本的网络协议：IPv4和一个叫做IPv6的新版本。IPv6是一个网络协议的革命性升级。IPv6将与老版本的IPv4共存一段时间。

ipv4 vs ipv6

What is IPv4 (Internet Protocol Version 4)?

IPv4 (Internet Protocol Version 4) is the fourth revision of the Internet Protocol (IP) used to to identify devices on a network through an addressing system. The Internet Protocol is designed for use in interconnected systems of packet-switched computer communication networks (see RFC:791).

IPv4(网络协议版本4)是网络协议的第四次修订，用来在网络中通过地址系统识别设备。网络协议的设计应用于一个交互连接系统，系统用于数据包转发的计算机通信网络。

IPv4 is the most widely deployed Internet protocol used to connect devices to the Internet. IPv4 uses a 32-bit address scheme allowing for a total of 2^32 addresses (just over 4 billion addresses). With the growth of the Internet it is expected that the number of unused IPv4 addresses will eventually run out because every device -- including computers, smartphones and game consoles -- that connects to the Internet requires an address.

IPv4是应用最广泛的设备连接网络的协议。IPv4使用32位的地址方案，共允许2^32个地址(仅仅40多亿个地址)。随着互联网的发展，看起来IPv4地址要被用光了，因为包括电脑，智能手机和游戏主机在内的每一个连接互联网的设备都需要一个地址。

What is IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version 6)?

A new Internet addressing system Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is being deployed to fulfill the need for more Internet addresses.

为了满足更多网络地址的需求，一个新的网络地址系统IPv6正在被部署。

IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version 6) is also called IPng (Internet Protocol next generation) and it is the newest version of the Internet Protocol (IP) reviewed in the IETF standards committees to replace the current version of IPv4 (Internet Protocol Version 4).

IPv6也叫IPng(下一代网络协议)，并且是IETF(互联网工程任务组)标准委员会修订的最新网络协议版本，用来代替当前的版本IPv4.

IPv6 is the successor to Internet Protocol Version 4 (IPv4). It was designed as an evolutionary upgrade to the Internet Protocol and will, in fact, coexist with the older IPv4 for some time. IPv6 is designed to allow the Internet to grow steadily, both in terms of the number of hosts connected and the total amount of data traffic transmitted.

IPv6是IPv4的继承者。被设计为一个网络协议的革命性升级，并且将与旧版本IPv4共存一段时间。IPv6被设计于在以下两方面保障许互联网稳定增长：包括连接的主机数的增长，还有数据传输总流量的增长。

IPv6 is often referred to as the "next generation" Internet standard and has been under development now since the mid-1990s. IPv6 was born out of concern that the demand for IP addresses would exceed the available supply.

从20世纪90年代中期开始，IPv6经常被认为是下一代互联网标准且现在一直处于开发中。IPv6的诞生就关注着IP地址的需求超过了供给的这个问题。

The Benefits of IPv6

IPv6的优势

While increasing the pool of addresses is one of the most often-talked about benefit of IPv6, there are other important technological changes in IPv6 that will improve the IP protocol:

增加更多的地址是被讨论最多的IPv6的优势，IPv6中还有其他重要的提供网络协议的技术改变。

• No more NAT (Network Address Translation)更少的网络地址转换
• Auto-configuration 自动配置
• No more private address collisions 更少的私有地址冲突
• Better multicast routing 更好的多播路由
• Simpler header format 更简单的请求头格式
• Simplified, more efficient routing 简单，更高效的路由
• True quality of service (QoS), also called "flow labeling" 真实的服务质量，也叫流标签
• Built-in authentication and privacy support 内建的认证和私有支持
• Flexible options and extensions 灵活的选项和扩展
• Easier administration (say good-bye to DHCP) 更容易的管理方式(再也不用DHCP了)

The Difference Between IPv4 and IPv6 Addresses

An IP address is binary numbers but can be stored as text for human readers. For example, a 32-bit numeric address (IPv4) is written in decimal as four numbers separated by periods. Each number can be zero to 255. For example, 1.160.10.240 could be an IP address.

一个IP地址是二进制数据，为了便于人类阅读，可以保存为文本。例如，一个32位数的IPv4地址可以分段写成4个十进制数字。每个数字在0到255之间，例如，1.160.10.240可能是一个IP地址。

IPv6 addresses are 128-bit IP address written in hexadecimal and separated by colons. An example IPv6 address could be written like this: 3ffe:1900:4545:3:200:f8ff:fe21:67cf.

IPv6的地址是一个128位的IP地址，用以冒号分隔的16进制数表示，例如IPv6的地址可以这么写：3ffe:1900:4545:3:200:f8ff:fe21:67cf.

Did You Know...? IPv6 in the News: (April, 2017) MIT announced it would sell half of its 16 million valuable IPv4 addresses and use the proceeds of the sale to finance its own IPv6 network upgrades.

你知道吗？关于IPv6的新闻：MIT(麻省理工学院)宣布将出手1600亿有价值IPv4地址中的一半，用来升级自己的IPv6网络。

Based in Nova Scotia, Canada, Vangie Beal is a freelance writer, covering business and Internet technology for more than a decade. She is also managing editor of Webopedia.com.

位于加拿大新斯科舍的Vangie Beal是一名自由撰稿人，内容涵盖商业和互联网技术已俞十多年，她也是Webopedia.com的主编。

managing editor 主编