Purpose

A knowledge base is a web-based repository of articles about some topic together with a search capability to discover information about that topic. The Search … box appears at the top of every screen in the IPv6 Knowledge Base. The IPv6 Knowledge Base was created to provide those interested in Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) networking with:

i. Lessons Learned from planning for and deploying IPv6 networks and equipment that support IPv6 across multiple geographic locations over wide-areas by enterprises, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), Federal government departments and agencies, academic institutions, and small-medium organizations, as well as by small businesses and home offices with a single geographic location.
ii. General Information about IPv6 networking technologies and their deployment at all levels, from enterprise-level planning all the way down to small businesses and home offices.
iii. Tips and How-Tos on enabling support for IPv6 on a wide variety of equipment and software.
iv. Knowledge to aid in deploying networks, equipment, and software that support IPv6, rather than to evangelize or to motivate interest in IPv6.

Structure

The IPv6 Knowledge Base Initial Introduction article in the General Information section provides an overview of the structure of the IPv6 Knowledge Base.

A site map of the IPv6 Knowledge Base appears below.

Return to the IPv6 and IoT: FAQ page.

IPv6 Knowledge Base

• IPv6 Knowledge Base: General Information
  • IPv6 Knowledge Base Initial Introduction
  • IPv6 Not Needed Here!?!
  • United States (US) IPv6 and IoT Policy, Guidance, and Best Practices
  • Non-United States IPv6 and IoT Policy, Guidance, and Best Practices
  • Overview of Lessons Learned Deploying IPv6
  • IPv6 and IoT Networking Standards
  • IPv6 and IoT Points of Contact
• IPv6 Knowledge Base: Deployment
  • Before You Begin
  • Overview of Process
  • IPv6 Boiler Plate Acquisitions Language
  • IPv6 Training and Learning
  • IPv6 Transition Mechanisms
  • IPv6 Software
  • IPv6 in the Home and Small Office/Home Office (SOHO)
• IPv6 Knowledge Base: IP Transport
  • Enabling IPv6 in Apple macOS, OS X and Mac OS X
  • Enabling IPv6 in Cisco Routers and Layer-3 Switches
  • Enabling IPv6 in Extreme Networks Routers and Layer-3 Switches
  • Enabling IPv6 in Juniper Routers and Layer-3 Switches
  • Enabling IPv6 in Microsoft Windows 7 and earlier Versions
  • Enabling IPv6 in Microsoft Windows 8 and later Versions
  • Enabling IPv6 in Nokia Routers and Layer-3 Services Devices
  • Disabling IPv6 in Apple macOS, OS X and Mac OS X
  • Disabling IPv6 in Microsoft Windows 7 and earlier Versions
  • Disabling IPv6 in Microsoft Windows 8 and later Versions
  • IPv6 in Debian and Ubuntu Linux
  • IPv6 in FreeBSD Unix
  • IPv6 in IBM AIX, i, z/OS and z/VM
  • IPv6 in NetBSD Unix
  • IPv6 in OpenBSD Unix
  • IPv6 in Oracle Solaris
  • IPv6 in Red Hat, Mandrake, Fedora and CentOS Linux
  • IPv6 in openSUSE Linux and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES)
• IPv6 Knowledge Base: Infrastructure
  • Cloud Computing using IPv6
  • IPv6 and Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)
  • Enabling IPv6 in Microsoft Windows Application Servers
  • DHCP and SLAAC on IPv6 Networks
  • IPv6 and Microsoft IIS Web Server
  • IPv6 and Sendmail
  • IPv6, Samba, and CIFS
  • IPv6 and Apache Web Server
  • IPv6 and Nginx Web Server
  • IPv6 and Postfix SMTP Server
  • IPv6 and PTR Records
  • IPv6 and DNS Hierarchy
  • Enabling IPv6 in DNS Servers
  • Multicast on IPv6 Networks
  • IPv6 and PHP
• IPv6 Knowledge Base: Network Management
  • Where to Get IPv6 Addresses
  • IPv6 Address Plans
  • Network Management Recommendations
  • Wide-area Network Deployment
  • IPv6 Troubleshooting
• IPv6 Knowledge Base: Security
  • Ipv6 and IoT Security Best Practices
  • Microsoft Windows Internet Connection Sharing (ICS)
  • Enabling IPv6 in ip6tables and other Linux-based Firewalls
  • IPv6 and Trusted Internet Connection (TIC) Initiative
  • Neighbor Discovery Protocol Attacks
  • Router Configuration Guide for IPv6
  • Firewall Configuration Guide for IPv6
  • IPv6 in Microsoft Windows-based Firewalls
  • IPv6 in Check Point Firewalls
  • Enabling IPv6 in Juniper Security Products and Firewalls
  • Enabling IPv6 in Cisco Security Appliances and Firewalls
  • IPv6 Vulnerability Testing, Penetration Testing, and Vulnerability Remediation
  • IPsec in IPv6 - The Plain Truth
  • Enabling IPv6 in Apple macOS, OS X and Mac OS X-based Firewalls
• IPv6 Knowledge Base: Applications
  • Application Conversion Introduction
  • Application Conversion Tools
  • IPv6 and Google Chrome
  • IPv6 and Opera
  • IPv6 and Microsoft Edge or Internet Explorer
  • Kerberos IPv6 Status
  • IPv6 and Java Applications
  • IPv6 and Mozilla Firefox
  • IPv6 and Apple Safari
• IPv6 Knowledge Base: Testing
  • IPv6 Network Testing Results
  • IPv6 Product Testing Results
  • IPv6 Test Techniques
  • Simple Packet Translator (SPT)
• IPv6 Knowledge Base: IPv6 and IoT Frequently Asked Questions
  • Purpose and Structure of the IPv6 Knowledge Base
  • Additional IPv6 Websites
  • Additional Information about IoT and Smart Cities
  • Available IPv6 Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and Networks
  • Available IPv6 Cell Phones and Wireless Carriers
  • Available IPv6 Social Media Websites and Apps
  • US Federal Government Organizations IPv6 Deployment
  • Other US Organizations and foreign countries IPv6 Deployment
  • Impact of IPv6 on Software Development
  • Available IPv6 Content Delivery Network (CDN) Providers
  • Content and Applications Delivery Over IPv6
  • Free Open-Source Internet of Things (IoT) Software

Return to the IPv6 and IoT: FAQ page.

A hardship early-on in the development of Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) tools was the lack of IPv6 packets to use for testing. A simple PCAP-based Internet Protocol (IP) translator was built by the DREN IPv6 Pilot to convert a file containing IPv4 packets into a file containing IPv6 packets. There are now many synthetic packet test generators available, both open source and commercial. A list of some free packet generators is available here.

(NOTE: For tools to help test or troubleshoot Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) network behavior or network services (such as web, mail, DNS, DNSSEC, NTP, or XMPP), see the IPv6 Troubleshooting article in the Network Management section.)

Formal Network Testing

The Chief Information Officers (CIO) Council Federal IPv6 Task Force provided this Demonstration Plan for Federal agencies defining what was required to document compliance with the OMB IPv6 guidelines. 

Products from some of the commercial testing service and equipment providers and open source testing software developers mentioned at the end of the Testing section in the SDN Lessons Learned, Testing, and Training article in the SDN Knowledge Base can be used to conduct network testing and document their results.

Numerous sources providing Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) product standards conformance and interoperability testing results are listed below. Unfortunately, there is no single database or website that consolidates the various testing results.

The testing results are provided in 6 categories

1. 1. International,
   2. United States (US) Government,
   3. US Department of Defense (DoD),
   4. Commercial and open-source testing service providers,
   5. Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), and
   6. Other.

Some of the earlier organizations and initiatives conducting IPv6 product standards conformance and interoperability testing in a dual-stack environment (both IPv6 and IPv4 are supported) mentioned below are no longer active (and are noted as such). Testing results from these programs remain available. However, the value of such testing results diminishes over time, as the importance of supporting IPv6-only (without any support for IPv4) continues to grow, as the article The Need for IPv6-only Product Support points out.

1. International testing. Since 2003, information about hardware products and system software that have been tested against IPv6 Forum IPv6 Ready Logo Program requirements and placed on that program's Approved Lists may be found here. Information about the products tested in specific categories may be found on this website.

As early as 1991, the European Advanced Networking Test Center (EANTC) began testing network products for IPv4 standards conformance and interoperability. Since 2004, they have been testing IPv6 products as well (search for IPv6 to see the reports). In 2016 the Internet Protocol for Smart Objects (IPSO) Alliance updated its Application Framework to include IPv6 interoperability tests, which is still being maintained. In 2018 the IPSO Alliance and the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) announced their merger to form OMA Specworks, which is still active. The IPSO Alliance Smart Objects Guidelines are still being maintained by the OMA Specworks. The OMA Specworks Work Program includes several Working Groups, including the Interoperability Working Group, (IOP WG), which continues developing and releasing interoperability test profiles.

Since 2013 the Broadband Forum has released a steady stream of IPv6-telated Test Plans and Technical Reports.

2. United States (US) Government testing. Information about the products that were tested against requirements specified in the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) US Government standards for IPv6 (USGv6) 500-267 until 2020 and since then have been tested against requirements specified in NIST 500-267Br1 are placed on the USGv6 Accredited Test Labs Registry. The USGv6 is also referred to as the USG IPv6 Profile.

3. US Department of Defense (DoD) testing. DoD testing results for products that have been tested against the DoD Unified Capabilities Requirements (UCR 2013 Change 2) by the Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC) and other Testing Centers of Excellence are placed on the DoD Information Network (DoDIN) Approved Product List (APL) and may be found here. (Caution: The website does not require a DoD Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) certificate for access, although it may ask for one. Click on Cancel if a certificate is requested.) Additional information about the DoD product certification process may be found here.

The JITC testing methodology until 2009 was described in this DoD IPv6 Generic Test Plan. That Generic Test Plan was superseded by a series of device-category specific test procedures. A Joint Interoperability Process Guide Version 2.0 is available. (Caution: Some web browsers may not connect to this website on their first attempt.)

For older testing results that are no longer on the current APL list, the manufacturer may be able to provide a copy, or the testing results may have been on an older APL developed by JITC and archived in 2009, prior to the incorporation of IPv6 conformance testing into the UCR. Under contract to the Navy, Applied Research Associates, Inc. also provided a 2009 report of their early findings.

Additional information about IPv6 product testing as part of the DoD UCR program may be found here.

4. Commercial and open-source testing service providers. The InterOperability Laboratory (IOL) at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) has created a wide variety of test suites and test specifications, many of which are IPv6 specific, and is conducting on-going IPv6 product testing. The test suites, test specifications, and product registries with testing results are available on the UNH IOL website. For example, the UNH IOL conducts an on-going IPv6 testing program for Home Networking equipment and maintains a Session Initiation Protocol version 6 (SIPv6) Interoperability Environment and pre-certification test suite.

Some of the providers and developers mentioned at the end of the Testing section of the SDN Lessons Learned, Training, and Testing article in the SDN Knowledge Base also perform IPv6-specific testing. Spirent Communications, Inc. is one such commercial testing service provider.

(Note: Commercial testing services and equipment providers typically do not make test results publicly available.)

5. Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) testing. In addition to results from the testing programs mentioned above, a few OEMs provide IPv6 testing results and other regulatory compliance information on their own websites. For instance: Cisco hardware, HPE Public Sector Solutions (scroll down to the Federal Certifications section of the web page), Juniper hardware and Red Hat, Inc. software.

Although ephemeral, OEMs often publicize testing results when individual products are approved by the IPv6 Ready Logo, NIST USGv6, or DoD UCR testing programs.

6. Other. If IPv6 conformance testing results for a product of interest cannot be determined using any of the above resources, some level of IPv6 conformance may be inferred (though not confirmed) if test results for earlier products in the same product line show that the manufacturer incorporated IPv6 support in those products, or the product manufacturer's corporate website:

(i) states that the product supports IPv6,
(ii) states that the product supports Software-Defined Networking (SDN) or associated software architectures, or
(iii) is itself IPv6-enabled. This can be determined using one of the IPv6 connectivity testing tools mentioned in the IPv6 Troubleshooting article in the Network Management section.