1. A method comprising: receiving at a network support package a set of extended boot arguments; determining whether the set of extended boot arguments contains a first keyword indicating use of a first address format among multiple supported address formats; and when the first keyword is contained within the set of extended boot arguments, processing all addresses in the first address format and performing addressing functions using addresses in the first address format; wherein the first keyword is ipv6 and the first address format is Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6); and the ipv6 keyword is optionally specified within the set of extended boot arguments to indicate that all network addresses provided within the set of extended boot arguments are expressed using the IPv6 format.