ABSTRACT
In comparing the two headers shown in Exhibit 1, one notes that IPv6 includes six fewer fields than the current version of the Internet Protocol. Although at first glance this appears to make an IPv6 header simpler, in actuality the IPv6 header includes a Next Header field that enables one header to point to a following header, in effect resulting in a daisy chain of headers. While the daisy chain adds complexity, only certain routers need to examine the contents of different headers, facilitating router processing. Thus, an IPv6 header, which can consist of a sequence of headers in a daisy chain, enables routers to process information directly applicable to their routing requirements. This makes IPv6 packet processing much more efficient for intermediate routers when data flows between two Internet locations, enabling those routers to process more packets per second than when the data flow consists of IPv4 headers.
