IPv6 Network Configuration

Network Configuration Changes to Enable IPv6 On Full Servers

In order to start using IPv6 there are a few small configuration changes that are required on the server. The method is slightly different for Redhat based distributions and Debian based distributions so both are described below.

Miniservers

These configuration changes are not needed for miniservers. Miniservers, both Windows and linux, only need a a reboot to automatically grab the correct networking configuration. However, this reboot must be initiated via the Memset control panel for the server.

Redhat/Centos Network Configuration

There are two files to edit for Redhat based distributions:

First edit:

/etc/sysconfig/network

In here you need to append the following:

 NETWORKING_IPV6=yes

Next you need to edit:

/etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth0

To this file you need to append the following:

IPV6INIT=yes
IPV6ADDR=<IPv6-IP-Address>
IPV6_DEFAULTGW="fe80::1%eth0"

If you have more than one IPv6 address to add you can add additional addresses by appending the following line:

IPV6ADDR_SECONDARIES="<Secondary-IPv6-IP-Address> <Tertiary-IPv6-IP-Address>"

Once these changes have been made, restart networking with:

service network restart

Now test by pinging an IPv6 enabled website:

ping6 ipv6.google.com

Debian/Ubuntu Network Configuration

To add the IPv6 addresses to the network configuration of a Debian or Ubuntu server all you need to do is edit:

/etc/network/interfaces

Append the following after the current eth0 section:

    up ip addr add dev eth0 <IPv6-IP-Address>
    up ip route add default via fe80::1 dev eth0

If you have additional addresses to add then simply repeat the first line.

Once this is done, restart networking:

/etc/init.d/networking restart

Now test by pinging an IPv6 enabled website:

ping6 ipv6.google.com

Windows Server Network Configuration

To configure an IPv6 Network interface in Windows you will need to access the Network Connections menu by entering the following into either the Command Line or start menu.

ncpa.cpl

From this menu, you can right click your Network Adapter and select Properties.

Then, select the 'Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6)' item and, ensuring the tick box is marked, select Properties within that panel as below.

Your interface will be configured as per the example below, with the exception of the 'IPv6 Address:' field which is where you will enter the IPv6 address assigned through your Memset Control Panel. (See ​IPv6 Control Panel Configuration for clarification.)