Global Locator, Local Locator, and Identifier Split (GLI-Split)

GLI-Split is a new addressing and routing architecture for the Internet. It splits the functionality of current IP addresses into a global locator, a local locator, and an identifier, and encodes them in IPv6 addresses. It implements the locator/identifier split and makes routing in the core of the Internet more scalable. GLI-Split can be incrementally deployed and it is backward-compatible with the IPv6 Internet. It provides more flexibility for edge networks than the addressing and routing architecture of today’s Internet and creates thereby important incentives for early adopters. GLI-Split requires upgraded networking stacks in hosts, but non-upgraded hosts can also be accommodated in GLI-domains and benefit from a reduced set of advantages.