A MikroTik router, like any other modern network device, can identify and process IPv6 traffic thanks to several features built into its RouterOS operating system.

The ability to distinguish between IPv6 and IPv4 traffic is based on the analysis of the packets that the router receives.

We explain how a MikroTik router considers and handles IPv6 traffic:

1. IP Protocol Version Identification

Each IP packet has a field called “Version” in its header, which indicates whether the packet is IPv4 or IPv6. This field has:

• Value of 4 for IPv4.
• Value of 6 for IPv6.

When a MikroTik router receives a packet, it analyzes this field to determine the protocol type of each packet. If the version field indicates “6”, the router treats the packet as IPv6.

2. IPv6 Interface Configuration

In RouterOS, network interfaces can be configured to work with IPv4, IPv6, or both. During interface configuration, specific IPv6 addresses can be set, and the router is programmed to listen for and process packets that match these addresses.

3. Firewall and Mangle Rules

RouterOS allows you to configure rules on the firewall specifically for IPv6 traffic. These rules can be set to filter, accept, or deny traffic based on specific IPv6 addresses, protocols, and ports. The ability to configure these rules allows the MikroTik router to properly handle and respond to incoming and outgoing IPv6 traffic.

4. IPv6 routing

MikroTik RouterOS supports IPv6 routing, which is configured separately from IPv4 routing. IPv6 routes are used by the router to make decisions about how to route IPv6 traffic through the network. This includes IPv6 static routes and support for dynamic routing protocols such as RIPng, OSPFv3, and BGP.

5. Diagnosis and Monitoring

The MikroTik router has integrated tools for diagnosing and monitoring IPv6 traffic, such as ping6, traceroute6, and real-time traffic monitoring that identifies and displays specific statistics for IPv6 traffic.

6. DHCPv6 processing

RouterOS also supports DHCPv6, which allows the router to act as a DHCPv6 client, server, or relay. DHCPv6 support is crucial for automatic assignment of IPv6 addresses and configuration of other IPv6 network parameters.

By fully integrating and supporting the IPv6 protocol, MikroTik routers can effectively handle IPv6 traffic, ensuring that networks can operate using both IPv4 and IPv6 without problems.

This is essential for the gradual transition to broader adoption of IPv6, as IPv4 and IPv6 will coexist for many years on most networks.