3.4. Understanding and Using IPv6

With the proliferation of IP-based devices, the pool of available IPv4 IP addresses will eventually run dry. The lack of more addresses won't stop you from wanting that new integrated cell phone/PDA with wireless Internet connectivity, so something needs to be done about the dwindling pool of addresses. IPv6 is that something.

IPv6 is intended to be the eventual replacement for IPv4. The goals of IPv6 naturally include expanding the available address space, but they also target routing performance improvements, Quality of Service (QoS) for low-latency applications, increased security, and other improvements.