Identifier-Locator Network Protocol

The Identifier-Locator Network Protocol (ILNP) is a network protocol that divides the two functions of network addresses, namely the identification of network endpoints, and assisting routing, by separating topological information from node identity.{{cite book |title=An Overview of the Identifier-Locator Network Protocol |url=http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/fileadmin/UCL-CS/research/Research_Notes/Archive/rn_05_22.pdf |access-date=January 12, 2021}} ILNP is backwards-compatible with existing Internet Protocol functions, and is incrementally deployable.

ILNP has an architecture with two different instantiations.{{When|date=July 2021}} ILNPv4 is ILNP engineered to work as a set of IPv4 extensions, while ILNPv6 has a set of IPv6 extensions.

At least three independent open-source implementations of ILNPv6 exist. University of St Andrews (Scotland) has a prototype in Linux/x86 and FreeBSD/x86, while Tsinghua U. (China) has a prototype in Linux/x86. The University of St Andrews ILNP group is led by Prof. Saleem Bhatti. Other academics involved in continuing research include Ryo Yanagida, Samuel J. Ivey and Gregor Haywood.

In February 2011, the IRTF Routing Research Group (RRG) Chairs recommended that the IETF standardise ILNP ({{IETF RFC|6115|link=no}}) as the preferred evolutionary direction for IPv6.