RADVD through OpenWRT or DDWRT WDS bridge?

[dsummerscox]

Hello IPv6ers,

I am trying to set up a wireless WDS bridge (maybe not correct terminology) with either two Linksys WRT54GL boxes or two DLINK DIR-825 boxes which will allow IPv6 RADVD to be sent across the bridge to the far end so that clients (either wireless or wired) on the far end can receive the RADVD packets and configure themselves for IPv6 operation.

Specifically:

HE <-> Internet <-> ISP <-> Cable Modem <- wired link -> Vyatta IPv4/IPv6 configured with RADVD server <- wired-link -> DDWRT/OpenWRT WDS #1 <- wireLESS ONLY link -> DDWRT/OpenWRT WDS #2 <- wired or wireLESS link -> OSX Lion 10.7 laptop

I've read about all the different wireless modes and have seen people claim that WDS is the way to go to act the most like a wired bridged (but using wireless) even though it halves the throughput.

I value correct operation over speed so this is fine with me.

However, I'm seemingly not getting the RADVD packets from the Vyatta router through to the far side.  When I connect directly in to the Vyatta then it works fine, my MacBookPro gets its IPv6 address.  However when I go through the wireless bridge (which works fine for IPv4) I'm not receiving IPv6 RADVD and it is not assigning the IPv6 address on the MacBookPro.

I thought I had this working the other night but when I came back to it a couple of days later it is either no longer working or the other night I was not testing what I thought I was testing.

The Firewalls on the DLINK or Linksys boxes have all been turned off.  They are all set for the same network as the Vyatta router so it should be acting merely as a wired bridge but using wirless instead.  I've now tried DDWRT v24-SP2 (10-10-09) and OpenWRT 10.03.1 both in Wireless WDS mode with the same results.

I'm stumped.   Any ideas as to what I'm doing wrong?

Is more information needed or is this sufficient to figure out what is going on and whether this would/should work properly?

    - Thanks in Advance

[jtcloe]

I don't know the specifics of either OpenWRT or DDWRT running in WDS mode and what packets it passes, but I've run across many devices that claim to be bridges, yet do quirky little things like only passing IPv4 or only passing traffic thats on the same logical/IP subnet as the device, it wouldn't surprise me to learn that the *WRT firmware acts similar, but I'm not saying it does.

You might also ask on one of the *WRT mailing lists and see if anyone else is using a similar setup.

The only way to know for sure is to start dumping packets and see if you see the RA's, etc.

I'm assuming IPv4 is working fine on the setup?

[dsummerscox]

Yes, IPv4 works great and IPv6 works great when connected anywhere else other than through the wireless bridge.

I'll ask on the DDWRT and OpenWRT forums and see.  I've got hints that it *SHOULD* work, one person claimed they were using IPv6 fine through the bridge but I don't know the particulars of their setup.

The other interesting thing is that if I set a manual IPv6 address on the far side, that works fine.  I just can't get RADVD (maybe other types of IPv6 packets? Don't know) to traverse the wireless bridge.

If anyone here has any further information, please do tell.

I'll report back if I find anything from the DDWRT and OpenWRT forums.

[cconn]

I had this problem when using STA mode; with WDS mode on OpenWRT it works.  Are you sure you are using WDS and not STA mode?  Post your config for the remote bridge and I will compare it with my working config later tonight.  I use WDS+OpenWRT and IPv6 works with radvd.

and WDS will only halve your throughput if you are connecting wireless to a WDS bridge acting as an AP as well as a bridge.  Since you are connecting to the WDS#2 over a wired connection, you will not halve your throughput.