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Use IPv6 Remote Access

Applies To: Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2

The use of Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is growing globally and must be considered when designing remote access connections. Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 include an IPv6 protocol stack, but many core services and networking components do not support IPv6. Later versions of Windows include a more comprehensive implementation of the TCP/IP protocol suite known as the Next Generation TCP/IP stack. The Next Generation TCP/IP stack supports the dual IP layer architecture in which the IPv4 and IPv6 implementations share common Transport and Framing layers. By default, the Next Generation TCP/IP stack has both IPv4 and IPv6 enabled. There is no requirement to install a separate component to obtain IPv6 support.

There are three factors to consider when designing an IPv6 remote access connection: the method of sending IPv6 traffic, the type of VPN connection, and the type of VPN tunnel. The following table lists tunnel type support for IPv6 traffic over VPN connections in different versions of Windows. Entries in the following table apply to RRAS servers running Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, and all later versions of Windows, unless specifically noted otherwise.

Method of Sending IPv6 Traffic Remote Access VPN Connection Site-to-Site VPN Connection

IPv6-over-IPv4 traffic over the IPv4 Internet

  • PPTP and L2TP/IPsec

  • SSTP in Windows Vista with SP1, Windows Server 2008, and later versions of Windows

  • IKEv2 in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2

  • PPTP

  • L2TP/IPsec

Native IPv6 traffic over the IPv4 Internet

  • PPTP and L2TP/IPsec in Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008 and later versions of Windows

  • SSTP in Windows Vista with SP1, Windows Server 2008, and later versions of Windows

  • IKEv2 in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2

  • PPTP

  • L2TP/IPsec

IPv6-over-IPv4 traffic over the IPv6 Internet

  • L2TP/IPsec in Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and later versions of Windows

  • SSTP in Windows Vista with SP1 and Windows Server 2008

  • IKEv2 in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2

  • L2TP/IPsec

Native IPv6 traffic over the IPv6 Internet

  • L2TP/IPsec in Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008 and later versions of Windows

  • SSTP in Windows Vista with SP1, Windows Server 2008, and later versions of Windows

  • IKEv2 in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2

  • L2TP/IPsec in Windows Server 2008 and later versions of Windows

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