An IPv6-Based Identification Scheme

We present an IPv6-based identification scheme that is designed to uniquely identify physical objects, including network interfaces. An IPv6 identifier, in addition to providing a permanent object identifier, serves as a "pointer" to the addresses of networked proxies and services related to that object. Our IPv6 identification scheme proposes the use of a currently unassigned portion of the IPv6 namespace, enabling IPv6 identifiers to be distinguishable from IPv6 addresses. IPv6 identifiers enable the separation of functionality, or intelligence, from the physical device; thereby allowing low functionality wireless communication devices, such as radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, to have a networked intelligence that far exceeds their computational and communication capabilities. We examine two methods of obtaining the location of an object\´s networked proxies and services, as well as obtaining the mobile object\´s current IP address. The first method is a proposed IPv6 Name Service that is analogous to the Domain Name Service (DNS), extending the basic concept to include variations in scope. The second method is analogous to Mobile IPv6, again extending the basic concept to include variations in scope. We discuss the benefits of an IPv6 identification scheme and present directions for future work.