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Networking Fundamentals · Intermediate

Neighbor Solicitation (NS)

An ICMPv6 type 135 message used to find a neighbor's MAC address, verify reachability, or detect duplicate addresses.

Definition

For address resolution, the NS is sent to the target's solicited-node multicast address and plays the role of an ARP request. For DAD, the host sends an NS for its own tentative address from ::.

Example

Before sending to fe80::1, a host sends an NS to learn the router's MAC address.

Exam tip

NS is the IPv6 equivalent of an ARP request.

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