Correct Answer: A. 2001:db8:0:16::1b:2000:56
IPv6 addresses consist of eight 16-bit hexadecimal groups separated by colons. IPv6 compression simplifies their representation without changing the underlying 128-bit address.
According to Cisco ' s IPv6 addressing documentation, IPv6 compression follows two fundamental rules:
Rule 1: Remove leading zeros.
Leading zeros within each hexadecimal group may be omitted.
The original address becomes:
2001:db8:0:16:0:1b:2000:56
Rule 2: Apply zero compression.
A double colon (::) can represent one or more consecutive all-zero groups. It can appear only once within an IPv6 address.
Applying this compression produces:
2001:db8:0:16::1b:2000:56
Why the other options are incorrect:
A. Correct: Preserves the original address and uses valid IPv6 zero-compression syntax.
B. Incorrect: Uses :: twice, which is prohibited.
C. Incorrect: Omits a required zero group and changes 2000 to 2, altering the original address.
D. Incorrect: Uses :: twice and incorrectly changes the 2000 group.
Technical distinction: Option A is a valid IPv6 representation under RFC 4291. However, RFC 5952 recommends against using :: to compress only one 16-bit zero group. The preferred canonical representation is 2001:db8:0:16:0:1b:2000:56. Because that representation is absent, A is the correct examination answer.
[References:, Cisco Certified Support Technician Networking (100-150) — Addressing and Subnet Formats, IPv6 Address Representation and Compression., Cisco IPv6 Addressing and Basic Connectivity Configuration Guide — IPv6 Address Formats., RFC 4291 — IP Version 6 Addressing Architecture, Section 2.2., RFC 5952 — A Recommendation for IPv6 Address Text Representation, Sections 4.1 and 4.2., , , ]