The Everything Feed - All Packet Pushers Pods IPB189: RFC 9898 – Neighbor Discovery Considerations in IPv6 Deployments
Dec 4, 2025
Dive into the complexities of neighbor discovery with the latest insights from RFC 9898. The hosts explore its purpose as a comprehensive guide for IPv6 deployments, addressing crucial functions like router discovery and address resolution. Discover key security risks, practical fixes for enterprise operators, and vendor recommendations to mitigate multicast issues. Learn about important operational lessons, including enhanced DAD and optical loops. This discussion is packed with valuable takeaways for both architects and enterprise admins alike.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Neighbor Discovery Is Broad And Interdependent
- Neighbor Discovery (ND) covers more than NDP messages; it includes router discovery, DAD, next-hop resolution, and node unreachability detection.
- RFC 9898 collates these behaviors and explains how they interact across link-local, global, and multicast operations.
Begin With The Host Lifecycle
- Start troubleshooting ND from the host perspective and follow the host's lifecycle through DAD, router discovery, address assignment and resolution.
- Use RFC 9898 as a primary reference to map symptoms to specific ND interactions before blaming upstream systems.
ND Complexity Raises Security Risks
- ND has an inherent security slant because complexity increases attack surface for multicast, ICMP, and on-link trust.
- RFC 9898 highlights risks and points to mitigations across network types including wireless and broadband.