Cisco Certified Network Professional 2026 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

In the context of IPv6, "stateless" refers to the method of allocating IP addresses without the need for a server to track its assignments. This is commonly seen in Stateless Address Autoconfiguration (SLAAC), where devices are able to generate their own addresses based on the network prefix received from a router. Essentially, when a device connects to an IPv6 network, it can automatically configure itself and create a unique IP address without the need for a centralized authority or a persistent record of previous assignments.

This system allows for a high degree of scalability and reduces the administrative burden on network administrators, as there is no need to maintain records of which addresses have been allocated to which devices. This contrasts with stateful address allocation, where a server actively manages and tracks IP address assignments, for example, using DHCPv6.

Other options focus on aspects that do not align with the concept of statelessness. Maintaining DHCP lease files pertains to tracking and management by a DHCP server, which is inherently stateful. Retaining a history of IP addresses assigned also indicates a need for record-keeping, which goes against the concept of stateless operation. Hub-based network configurations relate to network architecture rather than addressing methodology, further distinguishing them from the topic of stat