RFC1809
第七章 IPv6标准演化
目前进行IPv6标准制定工作的几个重要组织及其工作情况介绍如下：
1) IETF组织：主要致力于IPv6协议在因特网上的应用。目前讨论的热门话题主要集中在流标签、寻址、DNS、DNS发现、多连接子网、多宿主、源地址和目的地址选择、IPv6 MIB等方面；
2) 3GPP组织：主要致力于IPv6技术在核心网的应用，也不排除在3G终端中采用IPv6协议；
3) ITU-T组织：致力于IPv6在电信网络中的应用。目前，ITU-T与IETF已经在IP标准领域开展合作；
4) IETF 3GPP IPv6设计组：致力于设计3G网络中所采用的IPv6标准。目前的工作是评审现有的3G中的IPv6标准，为相应的标准做编号，同时将展开IPv6在3G网络中标准的执行、寻址方式、与手机相关的设备支持（路由器、代理服务器）、DNS、安全性、MTU、网络演进、远程管理以及移动IPv6等领域的工作。
目前，国际上主要是由IETF负责IPv6的标准制定工作。在IETF中，有两个主要工作组与制定IPv6标准有关。一个是IPng（下一代因特网协议）工作组，或称IPv6工作组，主要负责与IPv6有关的基础协议标准的制定。另一个是NGtrans（下一代网络演进）工作组，主要负责与下一代网络演进有关的标准的制定。
IPng（IPv6）工作组
该工作组的工作始于1992年。从接收最早的下一代互联网协议提案，到1995年正式确定IPv6基础协议，历时3年。这也是IPng制定的第一个协议。该协议的作者也是该工作组的两位主席，即Cisco公司的Steve Deering和Nokia公司的R.Hinden。IPng是IETF中比较活跃的工作组之一，每次会议都对许多标准提案进行讨论。到目前为止，已有53项标准成为RFC，17项成为互联网草案（Internet Draft）；
Ngtrans 工作组
该工作组的任务有4项：对用于IPv6演进的方法和工具进行规范；在IPv6演进中，用这些方法和工具编制文档；协调6Bone试验床；分配试验地址和协调IETF与其它组织的IPv6活动。
Ngtrans工作组在2003年2月已经结束，由新的IPv6 Operations（V6ops）工作组代替Ngtrans。V6ops与之不同之处在于它主要关注概要描述演进方案并且确定在演进中使用的具体的工具。V6ops工作组主要是研究制订在IPv4/IPv6共享网络上的操作指导规范，并提供关于如何把IPv6应用到现在已有的IPv4网络和新的网络设备上的指导方针。
IETF中其它一些与IPv6相关的工作组还包括：MIP6工作组和MULTI6工作组等。MIP6工作组的主要目标是通过持续发展大规模应用来提高基本的IPv6移动性；MULTI6工作组的主要任务是研究如何在IPv6的网上配置多宿主主机。
目前，IETF是IPv6标准制定工作的主体。在近期，这种状况不会改变。但是将有越来越多的国际标准化组织由于IPv6的重要性和对下一代网络的巨大影响而加入IPv6标准的制定行列。从传统意义上来说，互联网和移动通信是两个不同的行业。但是，随着IP技术的发展，这两个行业的共同点将越来越多。尤其是随着第三代移动通信“全IP”解决方案的提出，IPv6已成为互联网和移动通信网的公用基本协议，而且移动通信行业可能是最早也是最大的受益方之一。正因为如此，对国际标准化组织而言，除了IETF继续完善与IPv6有关的标准外，3GPP和ITU-T也成立了相应的工作组来制定与IPv6相关的标准。同时，IETF和3GPP最近联合组成了一个工作组，以便协调IPv6标准在第三代通信系统中的应用。
IETF是一个标准组织，负责设计在Internet上使用的协议。通常所有的IETF文档都以“Request for Comments”，即RFC的形式发布。但需注意的是并不是所有的RFC都代表了IETF标准。若需要更多的有关RFC性质的信息，请参考RFC1796：Not All RFCs are Standards。
当前，IPv6的研究工作主要由IETF的IPv6工作组负责完成，其他研究组也在进行IPv6相关技术的研究。以下是当前与IPv6有关的有效RFC列表：
RFC1809
Using the Flow Label Field in IPv6. June 1995.
RFC1881
IPv6 Address Allocation Management. IAB & IESG. December 1995.
RFC1887
An Architecture for IPv6 Unicast Address Allocation. December 1995.
RFC1924
A Compact Representation of IPv6 Addresses. April 1996.
RFC1981
Path MTU Discovery for IP version 6. August 1996.
RFC2080
RIPng for IPv6. January 1997.
RFC2081
RIPng Protocol Applicability Statement. January 1997.
RFC2185
Routing Aspects of IPv6 Transition. September 1997.
RFC2374
An IPv6 Aggregatable Global Unicast Address Format. July 1998.
RFC2375
IPv6 Multicast Address Assignments. July 1998.
RFC2428
FTP Extensions for IPv6 and NATs. September 1998.
RFC2450
Proposed TLA and NLA Assignment Rule. December 1998.
RFC2452
IP Version 6 Management Information Base for the Transmission Control Protocol. December 1998.
RFC2454
IP Version 6 Management Information Base for the User Datagram Protocol. December 1998.
RFC2460
Internet Protocol, Version 6 (IPv6) Specification. December 1998.
RFC2461
Neighbor Discovery for IP Version 6 (IPv6). December 1998.
RFC2462
IPv6 Stateless Address Autoconfiguration. December 1998.
RFC2463
Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMPv6) for the Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) Specification. December 1998.
RFC2464
Transmission of IPv6 Packets over Ethernet Networks. December 1998.
RFC2465
Management Information Base for IP Version 6: Textual Conventions and General Group. December 1998.
RFC2466
Management Information Base for IP Version 6: ICMPv6 Group. December 1998.
RFC2467
Transmission of IPv6 Packets over FDDI Networks. December 1998.
RFC2470
Transmission of IPv6 Packets over Token Ring Networks. December 1998.
RFC2471
IPv6 Testing Address Allocation. December 1998.
RFC2472
IP Version 6 over PPP. December 1998.
RFC2473
Generic Packet Tunneling in IPv6 Specification. December 1998.
RFC2474
Definition of the Differentiated Services Field (DS Field) in the IPv4 and IPv6 Headers. December 1998.
RFC2491
IPv6 over Non-Broadcast Multiple Access (NBMA) networks. January 1999.
RFC2492
IPv6 over ATM Networks. January 1999.
RFC2497
Transmission of IPv6 Packets over ARCnet Networks. January 1999.
RFC2526
Reserved IPv6 Subnet Anycast Addresses. March 1999.
RFC2529
Transmission of IPv6 over IPv4 Domains without Explicit Tunnels. March 1999.
RFC2545
Use of BGP-4 Multiprotocol Extensions for IPv6 Inter-Domain Routing. March 1999.
RFC2590
Transmission of IPv6 Packets over Frame Relay Networks Specification. May 1999.
RFC2663
IP Network Address Translator (NAT) Terminology and Considerations. August 1999.
RFC2675
IPv6 Jumbograms. August 1999.
RFC2710
Multicast Listener Discovery (MLD) for IPv6. October 1999.
RFC2711
IPv6 Router Alert Option. October 1999.
RFC2732
Format for Literal IPv6 Addresses in URL’s. December 1999.
RFC2740
OSPF for IPv6. December 1999.
RFC2765
Stateless IP/ICMP Translation Algorithm (SIIT). February 2000.
RFC2767
Dual Stack Hosts using the “Bump-In-the-Stack” Technique (BIS). February 2000.
RFC2858
Multiprotocol Extensions for BGP-4. June 2000.
RFC2893
Transition Mechanisms for IPv6 Hosts and Routers. August 2000.
RFC2894
Router Renumbering for IPv6. August 2000.
RFC2921
6BONE pTLA and pNLA Formats (pTLA). September 2000.
RFC2928
Initial IPv6 Sub-TLA ID Assignments. September 2000.
RFC3019
IP Version 6 Management Information Base for The Multicast Listener Discovery Protocol. January 2001.
RFC3022
Traditional IP Network Address Translator (Traditional NAT). January 2001.
RFC3041
Privacy Extensions for Stateless Address Autoconfiguration in IPv6. January 2001.
RFC3053
IPv6 Tunnel Broker. January 2001.
RFC3056
Connection of IPv6 Domains via IPv4 Clouds. February 2001.
RFC3068
An Anycast Prefix for 6to4 Relay Routers. June 2001.
RFC3089
A SOCKS-based IPv6/IPv4 Gateway Mechanism. April 2001.
RFC3111
Service Location Protocol Modifications for IPv6. May 2001.
RFC3122
Extensions to IPv6 Neighbor Discovery for Inverse Discovery Specification. June 2001.
RFC3142
An IPv6-to-IPv4 Transport Relay Translator. June 2001.
RFC3146
Transmission of IPv6 Packets over IEEE 1394 Networks. October 2001.
RFC3152
Delegation of IP6.ARPA. August 2001.
RFC3162
RADIUS and IPv6. August 2001.
RFC3178
IPv6 Multihoming Support at Site Exit Routers. October 2001.
RFC3194
The H-Density Ratio for Address Assignment Efficiency: An Update on the H ratio. November 2001.
RFC3235
Network Address Translator (NAT)-Friendly Application Design Guidelines. January 2002.
RFC3257
Stream Control Transmission Protocol Applicability Statement. April 2002.
RFC3266
Support for IPv6 in Session Description Protocol (SDP). June 2002.
RFC3306
Unicast-Prefix-based IPv6 Multicast Addresses. August 2002.
RFC3307
Allocation Guidelines for IPv6 Multicast Addresses. August 2002.
RFC3314
Recommendations for IPv6 in Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Standards. September 2002.
RFC3338
Dual Stack Hosts Using “Bump-in-the-API” (BIA). October 2002.
RFC3363
Representing Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) Addresses in the Domain Name System (DNS). August 2002.
RFC3364
Tradeoffs in Domain Name System (DNS) Support for Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6). August 2002.
RFC3493
Basic Socket Interface Extensions for IPv6. March 2003.
RFC3513
Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) Addressing Architecture. April 2003.
RFC3542
Advanced Sockets Application Program Interface (API) for IPv6. May 2003.