Using IPv6 on Windows Servers
We have a collection of Windows Server 2012 R2 virtual machines running our organization (DC, Fileserver, Exchange Server, Remote Access server, and an LOB server). They all have static IPv4 addresses which is the way I've always done things.
But I'm being forced to start to learn how IPV6 works because of some issues I've been having.
The servers have IPV6 enabled and set to just obtain the address automatically. I try not to touch it and most of the time it's been working. But I've been experiencing some very slow performance on my Remote Access Server's reverse proxy (IIS Application Request Routing) and it turns out the problem is because the IPV6 address of my Application Server is wrong, or not responding.
The server has the regular ethernet adapter, which has an IPV4 and an IPV6 address. Both of those addresses appear to work fine. But it also has this "Microsoft 6TO4 Adapter" which also has an IPV6 address. The Microsoft 6TO4 Adapter address is what appears to be registered in my DNS, and it does not respond to any pings or requests.
I've never really dealt with IPV6 before and I'm not sure why the 6TO4 adapter even exists, or how it is supposed to be set up. Should I be assigning static IPV6 addresses, and if so how do I determine what addresses to use? Should the 6TO4 adapter not be used? Or is there something wrong with it?
What's the right way to set this up?
But I'm being forced to start to learn how IPV6 works because of some issues I've been having.
The servers have IPV6 enabled and set to just obtain the address automatically. I try not to touch it and most of the time it's been working. But I've been experiencing some very slow performance on my Remote Access Server's reverse proxy (IIS Application Request Routing) and it turns out the problem is because the IPV6 address of my Application Server is wrong, or not responding.
The server has the regular ethernet adapter, which has an IPV4 and an IPV6 address. Both of those addresses appear to work fine. But it also has this "Microsoft 6TO4 Adapter" which also has an IPV6 address. The Microsoft 6TO4 Adapter address is what appears to be registered in my DNS, and it does not respond to any pings or requests.
I've never really dealt with IPV6 before and I'm not sure why the 6TO4 adapter even exists, or how it is supposed to be set up. Should I be assigning static IPV6 addresses, and if so how do I determine what addresses to use? Should the 6TO4 adapter not be used? Or is there something wrong with it?
What's the right way to set this up?
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I turned off the DNS registration on the 6to4 adapter and turned it on for the ipv6 on the regular ethernet adapter. Deleted the AAAA record from DNS and then did an ipconfig /registerdns. Shortly after that the new IPV6 address arrived in the DNS and it looks like all is well. Thanks for your help.
And you're right - I'm not experiencing this issue on any of my other servers that have more "dedicated" roles, e.g. the domain controller, the fileserver, the exchange server are not having this issue. Only the "apps" server which has half a dozen third party line of business applications running on it exhibited the problem. So something I installed must have tried to be "helpful" and changed a setting it shouldn't have.