Microsoft Windows DHCP Team Blog : DHCPv6

DHCPv6 Information-Refresh Time Option

teamdhcp — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:06:00 GMT

DHCPv6 Stateless Clients obtain configuration data from DHCP Server, by sending Information-request messages. The configuration data typically has no associated lifetime, hence there is no information telling a host when to refresh its configuration information....(read more)

DHCPv6 User Class Option

teamdhcp — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:03:00 GMT

RFC3315 specifies User Class Option for IPv6 hosts. DHCP administrators may define specific user class identifiers to convey information about a client's software configuration or about its user's preferences. User classes are created to support the implementation...(read more)

DHCPv6 - Understanding of address configuration in automatic mode and installation of DHCPv6 Server

teamdhcp — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 12:58:00 GMT

Understanding of address configuration in automatic mode Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista include a DHCPv6-capable DHCP client that will perform stateful address autoconfiguration with a DHCPv6 server. Windows Server 2008 includes a DHCPv6-capable...(read more)

DHCPv6 Prefix Delegation in Windows Vista

teamdhcp — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 22:08:00 GMT

In a previous post, I had discussed the DHCPv6 client behaviour in Windows Vista . A few customers who're evaluating IPv6 in Windows Vista responded asking about the support for DHCPv6 Prefix Delegation and/or asked why the Vista DHCPv6 client doesn't...(read more)

DHCPv6 Stateless and Stateful Server in Windows Server 2008

teamdhcp — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 01:48:00 GMT

In Windows Server 2008 (WS08), Microsoft has introduced DHCPv6 functionality to the DHCP server. In Windows Server 2008 (previously known as "Longhorn" Server) Beta 2, we released the DHCPv6 Stateless Server functionality. In Beta 3, we are introducing...(read more)

DHCPv6 Behaviour in Windows Vista

teamdhcp — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 12:03:00 GMT

Windows Vista introduces support for DHCPv6. The DHCPv6 client implementation in Windows Vista is compliant with RFC 3315. It supports 2 modes of operation: a stateless mode and a stateful mode of operation.

DHCPv6 Stateless mode is where the host uses a non-DHCPv6 method to obtain an IPv6 address, and uses DHCPv6 only to obtain other configuration parameters such as the IPv6 address of the DNS server. Typically in this mode, clients will use the IPv6 prefix from a Router Advertisement to auto-configure an IPv6 address for the network interface.

DHCPv6 Stateful mode is where a client uses DHCPv6 to obtain an IPv6 address from the DHCPv6 server along with other configuraiton parameters.

The DHCPv6 client mode of operation in Windows Vista is controlled by Router Advertisements. When the TCP/IP stack in Windows Vista receives a Media Connect event on a network interface, it sends a Router Solicitation. The Router Advertisement received in response determines the behaviour of the DHCPv6 client on that interface. If both the M & O flags in the Router Advertisement are set, the client assumes that it should DHCPv6 Stateful mode. If the O flag is set, but the M flag is not set, the DHCPv6 client uses the Stateless mode of operation.

Hope this helps you get started with deploying IPv6 in Windows Vista.

Santosh Chandwani

Windows Enterprise Networking

[This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.]