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DHCPv6 Stateless and Stateful Server in Windows Server 2008

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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 the DHCPv6 Stateful Server functionality. As I explained in my previous post DHCPv6 behaviour in Windows Vista, in the DHCPv6 stateless mode clients use DHCPv6 only to obtain network configuration parameters other than the IPv6 address. In this scenario, clients configure an IPv6 address through a non-DHCPv6 based mechanism (possibly through IPv6 address auto-configuration based on the IPv6 prefixes included in Router Advertisements, or through static configuration.) In the DHCPv6 stateful mode, clients acquire both the IPv6 address as well as other network configuration parameters through DHCPv6.

In WS08 Beta 3, our Beta and TAP customers will have access to the following DHCPv6 features:

  • Administrators can create IPv6 address scopes by simply specifying an IPv6 subnet prefix. The Windows DHCPv6 stateful server will automatically generate an IPv6 address for allocation to the client.
  • The addresses generated by the DHCPv6 server are sparsely distributed over the available address space for that subnet. By randomly distributing the address over the large address range made available by a 64-bit IPv6 prefix, the Windows DHCP server makes it much harder to guess IPv6 network addresses.
  • Clients can acquire a non-temporary and a temporary address through DHCPv6. A non-temporary IPv6 address can be used for Dynamic DNS registration, so that the client is "known" by that address. A temporary IPv6 address on the other hand can be used for establishing outgoing connections in scenarios where the client needs privacy for its non-temporary address private.
  • Administrators can simplify the deployment by using the Router Advertisements to provide hints on whether to use DHCPv6 in the stateless or the stateful mode.
  • The Windows DHCPv6 server will provide support for server authorization in Active Directory (AD). This will help reduce the possibility of a rogue server in managed domain environments.
  • We recommend that administrators add reservations for clients with statically configured IPv6 address, so that those addresses are not inadvertently allocated to clients. In addition, administrators can configure a certain range of addresses as exclusions in order to ensure that these addresses are not assigned to clients.
  • Administrators will also have access to other DHCP server functionality such as the capability for audit logging and use of the export/import commands to migrate DHCP server configuration and state information.

If you are interested in evaluating the Windows DHCPv6 server for your IPv6 deployment, we would love to have you participate in the Longhorn Server Beta program. If you are a Windows Server 2008 TAP customer, you will of course soon have access to the next IDS build in February which will contain the DHCPv6 Stateful server. Send me an email if you would like to participate in our beta program.

Santosh Chandwani

Windows Enterprise Networking

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

Comments

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    Beta Tester's do LH Server BETA 2 já estão fazendo uso do DHCPv6 Stateless que foi projetado para se

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    hi,

  1. it is possible to switch Windows Server 2008 dhcpv6 from stateful to stateless after DHCPv6 service installation ?
  2. How can I send "O" so other-config flag from Windows Server 2008 co vista client ? regards ! /solari

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    Recently, I've been seeing a lot of articles online claiming that IPv6 will make networks more secure because it makes port scanning harder. One example is this blog entry from a Microsoft employee who works on MS' DHCPv6 server team....

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    Windows Server 2008 y Windows Server 2008 R2, el apoyo DHCPv6. Ajay Team Networking

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    Hello Team, Could you confirm the issue reported as MS Connect ID 45620 violates RFC 3646, thus this is a bug of Windows Server 2008? http://connect.microsoft.com/WindowsServerFeedback/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=345620 Regards, Junichiro Hamaguchi

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    Hi roman, Please check is the server has a static IPv6 address bound to the DHCPv6 server. You can send us the configurations u have made on the DHCPv6 server. -teamdhcp

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    Hi    I am in testing with DHCPv6 for setup a single IPv6 network environment. built server with windows server 2008 R2 and the client with windows 7. canceled IPv4 protocol and only keep IPv6 protocol. connected server and clients to a switch,and setup the server to a Domain controller and added clients of win7 to the domain.but there is a problem need your help.   finished the environment create.the clients can got the site-local IPv6 address allocation form DHCPv6 server like fec0::fffe:abc:abc:abc:abc. but can't ping and can't visit via this IPv6 address. can't ping fec0:0:0:fffe::1(server IP address) from clients. disabled firewall the same. can ping the link-local IPv6 address like fe80:abc:abc:abc:abc:abc:abc:abc of system automatically allocation, can remote via computer name and link-local IPv6 address(fe80:abc:abc:abc:abc:abc:abc:abc ). but only can't visite via site-local IPv6 addrss(fec0::fffe:abc:abc:abc:abc).I try use netsh command disable the link-local IPv6 address but failed.can you help?and how can i disable link-local IPv6 address and manage clients by site-local IPv6 address form DHCPv6 server?

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    Windows Server 2008 supports only 64 bit prefix length. We are not in a position to provide guidance on Cisco Router configuration. Thanks teamdhcp

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    Site-local Ipv6 address is deprecated and are not guaranteed to work. Can you please let us know the netsh command you have used for disabling "link-local" address. Thanks Ravi

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    Microsoft DHCP Server does not lease out temproary V6 address.

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    La implementación de DHCPv6 en Windows Server 2008 es un área en la cual las bondades de red han sido

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    Hello DHCP team. I'm currently doing research about DHCPv6. Until now, i'm able to lease IPv6 address from Windows Server 2008 and CISCO router 2800 series to Windows Vista client using eui-64 prefix length address. My question is, are both Windows Server 08 and CISCO router support extended prefix length? One more thing, what is the right way or other way to configure DHCPv6 in CISCO router? The steps that i do is assigned an IPv6 address in f/a interface and issued "IPv6 unicast routing" command, the router really do advertise IPv6 address. But is that a correct way? Please help me.

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    Hello again DHCP team. Just a short question, is there another approach to configure DHCP in the network other than via server or router?

  • Anonymous
    February 27, 2008
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    June 16, 2009
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    July 09, 2009
    Necesito saber que version especifica de windows server soporta el servicio de DHCPv6????

  • Anonymous
    February 19, 2010
    Hi Bruce CJ, I'm trying to manage a dhcpv6 on W2008 sp1 i hvae successfully created the prefix and exclusion address, but when i try with a client dhcpv6 do  not deliver address, can you help me what are missing ? Options M and O are set to 1, and the server have a ipv6 address. Best Regards Romain