How does IPv6 addressing differ from IPv4 addressing in terms of address space?

How does IPv6 addressing differ from IPv4 addressing in terms of address space?

• A. IPv4 uses 256-bit addresses.
• B. IPv6 addresses are decimal numbers.
• C. IPv4 uses 128-bit addressing.
• D. IPv6 uses 128-bit addresses, providing a vastly larger address space than IPv4’s 32-bit space.

Answer: (D)

The main idea here is how long the addresses are. IPv6 uses 128-bit addresses, while IPv4 uses 32-bit addresses. The number of unique addresses grows from 2^32 (about 4.3 billion) to 2^128 (about 3.4 x 10^38). That enormous increase means far more devices can have their own global address, enabling scalable routing, simpler subnetting, and features like automatic address configuration without relying on techniques like NAT. IPv6 addresses aren’t decimal numbers, and IPv4 isn’t 128-bit, so those statements don’t hold.

The main idea here is how long the addresses are. IPv6 uses 128-bit addresses, while IPv4 uses 32-bit addresses. The number of unique addresses grows from 2^32 (about 4.3 billion) to 2^128 (about 3.4 x 10^38). That enormous increase means far more devices can have their own global address, enabling scalable routing, simpler subnetting, and features like automatic address configuration without relying on techniques like NAT. IPv6 addresses aren’t decimal numbers, and IPv4 isn’t 128-bit, so those statements don’t hold.