IPv6
/56
2^72
IPv6 /56 prefix
/56 means the first 56 bits are the network and 72 are left for hosts. That is 2^72 addresses.
Addresses are 128 bits, so nobody writes a mask — only the prefix length. A home gets a /56, a single network a /64.
- Prefix
- /56
- Host bits
- 72
- Addresses
- 2^72
- Usable hosts
- 2^72
- /64 networks inside
- 2^72
- Nibble boundary
- Yes
Prefixes either side
How to read this
- /24 means the first 24 bits are the network; the remaining 8 hold the addresses inside it.
- Each extra bit splits the network in two and halves the addresses.
- Usable addresses are normally the total minus two — the network and broadcast addresses.
- IPv6 has no broadcast, so nothing is subtracted. One network is conventionally a /64.
Frequently asked questions
Q. How many addresses are in a /56?
2^72, of which 2^72 can actually be handed out.
Q. How is a /56 written?
IPv6 uses no mask — you simply write /56.
Q. How many /64 networks fit in a /56?
2^72.
Q. How many host bits are there?
72. Each extra network bit halves the addresses.