He.net 6to4 tunnel in Microsoft Windows 10 Build 1903.

[Rewillis]

Running Microsoft Windows 10 ( Home ) Edition, Build 1903.  I followed the steps to cut and paste 6to4 tunnel commands in the command window, initially using the IPv4 address provided to the broker.  The response was okay.  6to4 tunnel is configured in Netgear D6400 router.  When I ping my He.net tunnel IPv6 address ( i.e., "2001:470:4:6a3::2" ), using the He.net "Looking Glass" link, the command times out.  Why is this happening?  :)

[Rewillis]

Update: I am able to ping my He.net 6to4 tunnel IP address ( i.e., "2001:470:4:6a3::2" ) from the Microsoft Windows 10 ( Home ) Edition command prompt, as shown in the attachment, below.  Any suggestions?  :)

[tjeske]

What do you mean "6to4"? HE uses "6in4", not "6to4".

And what do you mean you have configured it in Netgear D6400 router? Is this router capable of terminating the tunnel? If yes, then you don't need to paste anything in the Windows command prompt window. If no, then you need to forward protocol 41 (_not_ port 41!) to your PC where you enter the commands.

[Rewillis]

tjeske, the terminology in my Netgear D6400 router "6to4 Tunnel" settings is "6to4."  Also, I do not know what you mean by my router terminating the tunnel - please be more specific.  Finally, you will need to inform me regarding protocol 41 ( I know that it is not referring to port 41, though ).  Thank you.  :)

[tjeske]

Sorry for late reply, I was on vacation.

So, nope, 6to4 and 6in4 are different things. I believe your Netgear D6400 doesn't support 6in4 tunnels, only 6to4. How did you configure your tunnel on the Netgear?

[Rewillis]

tjeske, please see the attachment.  The "Router's IPv6 Address On LAN" field has been whited out for security reasons.  What is the difference between "6in4" and "6to4"?  Thank you.  :)

[tjeske]

6to4 is a different tunnel protocol than 6in4. They are not compatible.

If you want to use 6in4 in your network, you'll need a device that is capable of setting up the tunnel (e.g. a RaspberryPi or other computer would work) and make the Netgear forward all traffic to this device (DMZ or 'exposed host').

[Rewillis]

tjeske, one more question.  Can you be more specific regarding the option of another computer for setting up the 6in4 tunnel?  Thank you.  :)

[tjeske]

Sure. Depends on the operating system. The configuration steps/commands are listed in your tunnel profile on HE's homepage (when you login to your account, select the tunnel, then "Example configurations"). Your computer should have a static IP address inside your network, e.g. 192.168.0.50. You then need to forward all traffic to this IP. Look for a setting called "DMZ".

Maybe check out this guide:
https://www.cellstream.com/reference-reading/tipsandtricks/160-setting-up-a-6to4-tunnel-in-windows-7

However, it could be that the Netgear doesn't pass protocol 41. In that case, you won't be able to setup a tunnel using the D6400 as your DSL modem.

[kasperd]

tjeske, the terminology in my Netgear D6400 router "6to4 Tunnel" settings is "6to4."

Look carefully through the list of options. There exist 3 different but still quite similar tunnel protocols: 6to4, 6in4, and 6rd. Which of them does your router support? 6rd is the most flexible and if configured correctly can be made compatible with either 6in4 or 6to4.

What is the difference between "6in4" and "6to4"?

With 6to4 you get IPv6 addresses which are constructed from your IPv4 address. There is no provider as such, you will be relying on third party relays. You have little control over the choice of third party relays and consequently there isn't much you can do when they are unreliable.

With 6in4 you choose a tunnel provider (such as HE). Your traffic goes through your chosen provider and if it doesn't work you can contact your provider or choose a different provider.

There is also a hybrid between the two called 6rd. It has more configuration options and can be configured manually or autoconfigured through DHCP.

6to4 is a different tunnel protocol than 6in4. They are not compatible.

It's true that they are different and that a router configured with 6to4 is no use for communicating with HE. But they are still compatible enough that you can make 6to4 and 6in4 communicate directly with each other. I wouldn't recommend it though. Anything involving 6to4 should be recommended anymore.

[Rewillis]

kasperd, after locating an online user manual for the Netgear D6400 router ( i.e., at the following link: https://www.manualslib.com/manual/966359/Netgear-D6400.html?page=87#manual ), I was able to find the 6rd tunnel configuration settings.  At this point, the only thing I am unsure of are the prefix values, etc. ( the directions indicate that the Internet Service Provider ( ISP ) is supposed to provide these ).  Thank you for mentioning the 6rd option.  How do I configure 6rd with my He.net tunnel values?  :)

[Rewillis]

kasperd, see the attachment for the 6rd values that I need.  Does the ISP charge for these values?  Also, with the current 6to4 settings configured in my Netgear D6400 router, I am able to view the web site ( "www.kame.net" - Mosaic version ).  When I visit the "testmyipv6.com" web site, and click on the "IPv6-only Test" link, I receive a message that my computer has successfully connected to that server using IPv6.  However, when I click on the "Dual-Stack ( IPv6 & IPv4 ) Test" link, I receive an error message that indicates that my computer is choosing the IPv4 connection over the IPv6 connection.  Let me know what you think.  :)

[Rewillis]

kasperd, this morning I found the relevant Centurylink.com 6rd tunnel values on the Internet.  See the attachment for the results.  Let me know what you think.  Thank you for your help.  :)

[tjeske]

That looks great! Do you use the HE tunnel for this or the "native" 6rd of CenturyLink?

[Rewillis]

tjeske, I am using the Centurylink.com 6rd tunnel values that I found on the Internet yesterday morning.  As far as the He.net tunnel values are concerned, I tried those, but was not successful in establishing a tunnel.  I thought the He.net tunnels were for the 6in4 configuration, though.  Anyway, thanks to you and kasperd for all of your suggestions.  Keep in touch.  :)