IPv6 autoconfiguration

One of the advantages of IPv6 over IPv4 is the capability to autoconfigure the client in the absence of the DHCP server. Although there is such a thing in IPv4 as autoconfiguration or Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA), it provides only local connectivity with no routing support. On the other hand, IPv6 autoconfiguration enables the IPv6 host to automatically configure itself without using an addressing protocol, such as DHCP for IPv6 or DHCPv6. By using IPv6 autoconfiguration, the IPv6 host can also autoconfigure other IPv6 addressing settings such as configuration parameters and the addresses of routers. Specifically, IPv6 autoconfiguration is specified in RFC 4862.