IPv6 IP/MAC mapping

just wondering if anyone could offer some advice. Ive just started studying basic networking and have an assignment that involves discussing differences between IPv4 and IPv6, advantages of IPv6 etc etc.

One point that interests me is that the 128 bit addressing of IPv6 includes provision for including both the MAC and IP within the same address.

Some texts Ive looked at make a point like "it makes networks easier to administer, since we don't have to record two arbitrary numbers for each host". This is fine and dandy but having obviously never been a network admin I dont know what this means on a day to day basis for someone who deals with it. Why is this such an advantage? Ive found it difficult to find any further info on this and Id like to go into a little bit more detail than "easier to administer" and wondering if maybe any network admins (or anyone!) could offer some direction/hints on how this would make their world a better place.

cheers.

The follwoing links might be of helpful:

1- www.ipv6.org
2- www.stormingmedia.us/60/6077/A607714.html
3-http://expertanswercenter.techtarget.com/eac/knowledgebaseAnswer/0,295199,sid63_gci1053719,00.html

Cheers

Another good reason why IPv6 is better than IPv4 is that IPv4 is running out of ip addresses.
If you take 2^32 you get somewhere around 4billion possible assigned IP addresses. But with IPv6 there are 128 bits, so do the math for that, almost an unlimited amount of IP addresses, more than well ever need, well in this planet. :)

Quote:

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Originally posted here by kyrios
Another good reason why IPv6 is better than IPv4 is that IPv4 is running out of ip addresses.
If you take 2^32 you get somewhere around 4billion possible assigned IP addresses. But with IPv6 there are 128 bits, so do the math for that, almost an unlimited amount of IP addresses, more than well ever need, well in this planet. :)

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Ain't that the truth...something about the universe melting before we run out of IPs, hehe...

It would be nice to have more IPs, especially here where I keep running out of IPs. What with virtual systems (I can now pack 20 to 30 virtual servers into a 4U space that used to house just two physical), clusters (each two node cluster needs four to eight IPs), I now don't have enough IPs for clients. Whot!

cheers for the links. aware of improvements like the 128 bit IP, streamlined packet headers etc just looking for something a bit more obscure to put in there. Have pretty much trawled through every resource I can find but cant find a good explanantion on this one - maybe a little too obscure ?