Recipe 12.13. Installing the IPv6 Stack

Problem

You want to install and configure the IPv6 stack on a system.

Solution

Using a graphical user interface

1. Open the Control Panel.

2. From the Network Connections applet, double-click the connection you want to install IPv6 for.

3. Click the Properties button.

4. Click the Install button.

5. Select Protocol and click the Add button.

6. Select Microsoft TCP/IP version 6 and click OK.

7. Click Close.

Using a command-line interface

The following command installs the IPv6 stack. It must be run directly on the target system:

> netsh interface ipv6 install

If you need to run the command remotely, you can use the psexec command:

> psexec \\server01 netsh interface ipv6 install

Using VBScript

There is no scripting interface to install the stack, but you can shell out and run the netsh command as in the following example:

' This code installs the IPv6 on the computer the script is run from. strCommand = "netsh interface ipv6 install" set objWshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell") intRC = objWshShell.Run(strCommand, 0, TRUE) if intRC <> 0 then    WScript.Echo "Error returned from running the command: " & intRC else    WScript.Echo "Command executed successfully" end if

Discussion

Windows XP provides native support for IPv6, which is the next generation TCP/IP protocol suite intended to replace IPv4. Adoption of IPv6 has been slow, but seems to be steadily gaining momentum. Fortunately, Windows XP provides better support for IPv6 than did Windows 2000. For a good overview of IPv6 and how to configure the Windows client, see the following site: http://www.microsoft.com/ipv6.

IPv6 has caused some XP systems to hang, so if you experience problems after installing IPv6, try uninstalling it:

1. Log onto XP using an administrator's account.

2. Right-click My Network Places, and choose Properties.

3. Right-click your Internet connection and choose Properties and click the General tab.

4. Select IPv6 Protocol and click the Uninstall button. Follow the directions and restart your PC.

5. After your computer restarts, log on as an administrator.

6. Type services.msc at the Run box or command prompt to run the Microsoft Management Console.

7. In the Services area to the right, right-click IPv6, choose Properties, and in the Startup type box choose Disabled from the drop-down menu. Note: IPv6 may not show up in the Microsoft Management Console; if it doesn't, don't worry that means your problem has been solved.

For more details refer to MS KB 555059.

See Also

MS KB 325449, "HOW TO: Install and Configure IP Version 6 in Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Server"