IPv6
/6
2^122
IPv6 /6 prefix
/6 means the first 6 bits are the network and 122 are left for hosts. That is 2^122 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
- /6
- Host bits
- 122
- Addresses
- 2^122
- Usable hosts
- 2^122
- /64 networks inside
- 2^122
- Nibble boundary
- No
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 /6?
2^122, of which 2^122 can actually be handed out.
Q. How is a /6 written?
IPv6 uses no mask — you simply write /6.
Q. How many /64 networks fit in a /6?
2^122.
Q. How many host bits are there?
122. Each extra network bit halves the addresses.