Dell PowerSwitch S4820T Configuration Guide for the S4820T System 9.100.0 - Page 418

• Next Header (8 bits) • Hop Limit (8 bits) • Source Address (128 bits) • Destination Address (128 bits) IPv6 provides for extension headers. Extension headers are used only if necessary. There can be no extension headers, one extension header or more than one extension header in an IPv6 packet. Extension headers are defined in the Next Header field of the preceding IPv6 header. IPv6 Header Fields The 40 bytes of the IPv6 header are ordered, as shown in the following illustration. Figure 53. IPv6 Header Fields Version (4 bits) The Version field always contains the number 6, referring to the packet's IP version. Traffic Class (8 bits) The Traffic Class field deals with any data that needs special handling. These bits define the packet priority and are defined by the packet Source. Sending and forwarding routers use this field to identify different IPv6 classes and priorities. Routers understand the priority settings and handle them appropriately during conditions of congestion. Flow Label (20 bits) The Flow Label field identifies packets requiring special treatment in order to manage real-time data traffic. The sending router can label sequences of IPv6 packets so that forwarding routers can process packets within the same flow without needing to reprocess each packet's header separately. NOTE: All packets in the flow must have the same source and destination addresses. 418 IPv6 Routing