The TCP/IP Guide  9  TCP/IP Lower-Layer (Interface, Internet and Transport) Protocols (OSI Layers 2, 3 and 4)       9  TCP/IP Internet Layer (OSI Network Layer) Protocols            9  TCP/IP IPv6 Neighbor Discovery Protocol (ND)

IPv6 ND Functions Compared to Equivalent IPv4 Functions 1 2 3 IPv6 ND Host-Host Communication Functions: Address Resolution, Next-Hop Determination, Neighbor Unreachability Detection and Duplicate Address Detection

Host-Router Discovery Functions Performed By Hosts

For their part, hosts are responsible for three main functions.

• Advertisement Processing: Hosts listen for advertisements on their local network and process them. They then set appropriate parameters based on the information in these messages. This includes maintaining various data structures such as lists of prefixes and routers, which are updated regularly as new advertisement information comes in.
  
  
• Solicitation Generation: Under certain conditions a host will generate a Router Solicitation and send it out on the local network. This very simple message just requests that any local routers that hear it immediately send a Router Advertisement message back to the device that made the request. This is most often done when a host is first turned on, so it doesn't have to sit “in limbo” waiting for the next routine advertisement.
  
  
• Autoconfiguration: When required, and if the network supports the function, the host will use information from the local router to allow it to automatically configure itself with an IP address and other parameters.

IPv6 ND Functions Compared to Equivalent IPv4 Functions 1 2 3 IPv6 ND Host-Host Communication Functions: Address Resolution, Next-Hop Determination, Neighbor Unreachability Detection and Duplicate Address Detection