18.1.1 IPv6 address

IPv6 addresses can have one of three formats: unicast, anycast, and multicast.

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(1) Unicast address

A unicast address identifies a single interface. Packets addressed to a unicast address used as the endpoint address are delivered to the interface indicated by the address. The following figure shows how communication using a unicast address works.

Figure 18-1: Unicast address communication

(2) Anycast address

A multicast address also identifies a group of interfaces. Packets addressed to an anycast address used as the endpoint address are delivered to the closest interface in the group based on the distance calculated by the routing protocol. Note that the Switches does not support anycast addresses. The following figure shows how communication using an anycast address works.

Figure 18-2: Anycast address communication

(3) Multicast address

A multicast address also identifies a group of interfaces. Packets addressed to a multicast address used as the endpoint address are delivered to all the interfaces in the group identified by the address. The following figure shows how communication using a multicast address works.

Figure 18-3: Multicast address communication