IPv6-to-IPv6 Network Prefix Translation

{{Infobox networking protocol

| title = IPv6-to-IPv6 Network Prefix Translation

| image = Nat66.drawio.png

| purpose = network address translation

| date = {{Start date and age|2011}}

| rfcs = {{IETF RFC|6296|7157|plainlink=yes}}...

}}

IPv6-to-IPv6 Network Prefix Translation (NPTv6) is a specification for IPv6 to achieve address-independence at the network edge, similar to network address translation (NAT) in Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4). It has fewer architectural problems than traditional IPv4 NAT; for example, it is stateless and preserves the reachability attributed to the end-to-end principle. However, the method may not translate embedded IPv6 addresses properly (IPsec can be impacted), and split-horizon DNS may be required for use in a business environment.

File:NPTv6 Multihoming.png

NPTv6 differs from NAT66, which is stateful. With NPTv6, no port translation is required nor other manipulation of transport characteristics. Compared to NAT66, with NPTv6 there is end-to-end reachability along with 1:1 address mapping. This makes NPTv6 a better choice than NAT66.{{Cite web|date=2016-02-27|title=3 Ways to Ruin Your Future Network with IPv6 Unique Local Addresses (Part 1 of 2)|url=https://blogs.infoblox.com/ipv6-coe/3-ways-to-ruin-your-future-network-with-ipv6-unique-local/|access-date=2021-12-24|website=Infoblox Blog|language=en-US}}