How do I get my network on IPv6?

The other day, I received an email, about all these IPv6 issues, and it turns out, the sender just wanted to ask "How do I get on IPv6" in a SOHO (Single Office, Home Office) environment?

 Keeping it simple, two answers:

   1st, check that your equipment can handle IPv6,
   2nd, ask your Internet Service Provider (the (ISP).

 Background

The good news is that most Operating systems support IPv6 (anything on the market after 2004). Most mobile Operating systems, this since 2011, support IPv6 as well.

 Most network devices now support IPv6, with some earlier 'consumer' devices not, Again, anything you bought after 2004 will support IPv6.

 Installing IPv6

For a typical small installation, two steps are required:

 1. Verify / Reinstall IPv6 on a computer:

1. Windows: The basic way to reach IPv6 details will be to engage "Start" --> "Settings" --> "Control" --> "Network" --> "Connection" --> "Property" and you will se an option to check / reinstall IPv6
2. Apple: IPv6 installed by default since OS X (version 10.2), Jaguar.
3. Linux: IPv6 installed since kernel 2.4x by default.

2. Setting up an Internet facing router:
2.1 Automatically, if you have access to the Internet-facing router:

We take advantage of a process called "autoconfiguration." All  CISCO and Juniper routers (about 90% of SOHO's have them) has autoconfiguration set as a default.

1. Turn all computers 'inside' the SOHO off
2. Start Router configuration, and set for each interface this command ipv6 nd prefix-advertisement <ipv6-prefix/ipv6-prefix-length>
3. Re-start your computers, and each one will now 'listening' to the router advertising IPv6 addresses.

2.2 Manually, in Case you do not have access to the Interface facing router:

1. Now you have to go to every computer in the SOHO world, and do the following:

• on a command line, type >netsh interface ipv6 set interface
• and you will see some different commands that will help you to define the IPv6 role you need for the computer at hand

Just post a question,  and I will surely answer within a few hours.