Activating IPv6 In Microsoft Windows
Activating IPv6 in Microsoft Windows. IPv6 is already in use across many systems and networks around the globe. Soon enough it will become the industry standard and default method in which IP addresses are networked together. This document is not designed to explain the ins and outs of IPv4 vs IPv6, but if you are interested there is further reading here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPv6
https://www.utilizewindows.com/introduction-to-ip-version-6-ipv6/
We also offer an IPv6 auditing service that can help prepare your business for the introduction of IPv6 — for more information see this document.
This document will simply show you how to configure your laptop or PC for use with IPv6, covering the 3 most recent releases of Microsoft Windows that are in general use – Windows 7, 8 and 10.
In most cases, you will probably find that Windows has already got IPv6 activated by default. Please remember that by having IPv6 enabled on your machine does not necessarily mean you will go onto the internet using IPv6 – for this to occur, your ISP must be servicing you with an IPv6 address and your router must also be configured to use IPv6. For IPv6 to work locally, you should be connected to an IPv6 enabled network.
When verifying your IP address settings, fe80: at the beginning of your IPv6 address is the same as when Windows issues a 169 address i.e. local space only address. This probably just means you are not connected to a DHCP server that is serving IPv6 addresses.
Windows 7
Open the Control Panel and navigate to Network And Internet > Network And Sharing Center > Change Adapter Settings. This will take you to a window that looks something like this:
These are all of the available network connections. Whichever one you want to enable IPv6 for, probably Ethernet, right click the icon and select Properties. You will then see another window that looks like this:
The highlighted setting is the box you need to check in order to enable this machine for use with IPv6. Once you have it selected, you can hit Properties in the bottom right to enter the IPv6 properties screen, as below:
This works pretty much exactly the same as the IPv4 properties screen. Most of the time you will leave these as the default settings and obtain your address and DNS server automatically from your local DHCP server.
Windows 8
Open the charm bar within Windows (hover the mouse pointer over the top right corner of the main screen, and then scroll up and click a charm), navigate to the search option, and then Control Panel > Network And Sharing Center > Change Adapter Settings. You will then see a window that looks something like this:
These are the available network connections on your machine. Right click over the one you wish to configure and select Properties:
As indicated, you need to select the IPv6 check box and hit OK to save the change. Hitting the properties button will take you through to the following screen:
This works pretty much exactly the same as the IPv4 properties screen. Most of the time you will leave these as the default settings and obtain your address and DNS server automatically from your local DHCP server.
Windows 10
From the main Windows screen, open the Start menu by clicking the Windows icon in the bottom left, and then navigate to Settings > Network & Internet > Ethernet > Change Adapter Options. You will then be presented with a screen that displays your available network connections that looks something like this:
As indicated, right click on the network connection that you wish to enable IPv6 for and then hit Properties from the menu. From this next screen there is a menu with the required option, as per:
Simply select the IPv6 check box and hit OK.
You can hit the properties button while the IPv6 option is highlighted. This will take you through to the following window:
This works pretty much exactly the same as the IPv4 properties screen. Most of the time you will leave these as the default settings and obtain your address and DNS server automatically from your local DHCP server.
For further info, and demonstrating IPv6 between a Cisco router and a Windows host, please see this technical video.
activereach can help you with an IP version 6 (IPv6) Network Audit. Call us on 0845 625 9025 or contact us to find out more.