convert mac address to 64 bit host address

There have been a few interesting comments on this post, I encourage you to read them if you want to learn more about this mechanism. You would add the values FFFE in the middle of that MAC address, which extends it now from 48 bits to the 64 bits that we need for our IPv6 address. prepend the link-local prefix: fe80::5074:f2ff:feb1:a87fĪ converter to do the same operation in reverse is available here.replace first octet with newly calculated one: 5074:f2ff:feb1:a87f.convert octet back to hexadecimal: 01010000 -> 50.convert the first octet from hexadecimal to binary: 52 -> 01010010.reformat to IPv6 notation 5274:f2ff:feb1:a87f.take the mac address: for example 52:74:f2:b1:a8:7f.Here’s the conversion process step by step: This link-local IPv6 is infered from the NIC’s mac address.Ī mac address is 48 bits, an IPv6 address is 128 bits. Instead of getting an address via DHCP, a NIC will hop on the network with a link-local IPv6 address and with this will have to ability to do further configuration automatically (soliciting neighbors, router, et cetera).

Link-local IPv6 addresses are used as part of the IPv6 network auto-configuration process.

Convert mac address to 64 bit host address