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    IPv6 over Starlink

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved IPv6
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    • M
      mystic330
      last edited by

      Hello - I have gone through most threads here trying to get v6 working out through Starlink with no joy.
      I think the starlink part is working fine however:

      • I get a local-link GW - and can ping it
      • It seems like I'm getting delegated /64s through DHCPv6 (LAN hosts are getting non local-link addresses)
      • Pfsense can ping public v6 addresses

      I just can't get any hosts on my LAN to get out via v6 - which I'm thinking is a pfsense issue....
      Couple of questions:

      • How do you see what the delegated prefix is? (If I pull up DHCPv6 config under Primary Pool Prefix I just see " Delegated Prefix: WAN1_STARLINK/0/64 "
      • If I have the v6 config on the LAN set to Track (ID=0), shouldn't I see an address from that prefix be assigned to the LAN interface? All I see is a local-link address.
      • I think my LAN hosts are getting v6 addresses from the /64 prefix via RA (not sure how to verify)
      • I have nothing in my DHCPv6 leases table....

      I don't think v6 is being routed and DHCPv6 isn't working because there's no routable v6 address assigned to my LAN interface..... ??? But I'm not sure...

      Any ideas?

      GertjanG JKnottJ 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • GertjanG
        Gertjan @mystic330
        last edited by

        @mystic330

        For answers, you have to ask them to show up.
        Easy :
        3bbf99cf-1805-4367-bd0c-efe70fdafa08-image.png

        From this moment, the answers will be shown here : Status > System Logs > DHCP

        When you see this part (can exists multiple times, as many as you have LAN interfaces with "IPv6 : Tracking" activated ) :

        ac7043b6-2c35-4a38-b791-994446ba61e7-image.png

        Here you can see I received one prefix.
        As I have my LAN using IPv6 Tracking :

        e263485d-1e5d-4e1e-bc26-cd933d135211-image.png

        together with, on the same LAN Interface settings page :

        efa378d5-8893-4bd1-8a60-0bc112e6dd07-image.png

        Note the "from 0 to 0" which means that there is one (with index 0) available

        Now, goto DHCPv6 Server page for my LAN interface :

        8efe11b0-a10c-4f18-8b9f-bf5cafa618c3-image.png

        You can see the prefix again, and the available network.
        I've created a pool, from ::2 to ::86.

        I've set the Router Advertisement to Managed (because : why not) :

        b13cdfa3-21dd-4d23-8328-7cc3fdb1c3e8-image.png

        and from now on my DHCP6 server starts to receive IPv6 lease requests.
        Because I can see it happen in the ...... DHCP Logs :

        67e2811a-5d6c-40ef-8eb2-d00822a64215-image.png

        and the DHCP6 Leases pages starts to fill up :

        df788617-8227-4c7d-a653-a965eac8351b-image.png

        Note that most if not every DHCP6 lease are not taken from the pool.
        I've set up Static DHCP6 Leases, like the IPv4 equivalent :

        4704049d-5755-4087-b3bf-e945b70c9af1-image.png

        Last, but not least : My DHCP6 WAN settings :

        8bc89154-4ca0-4b02-94f8-061fbf48f9a1-image.png

        and I'm not sure that the one and only option I've checked is even needed.

        Note : all this is valid for my setup, using my ISP router (not modem), and it it my router that gives to pfSense an IPv6 on the WAN side, and a prefix (just one !! or the ISP router says it has /56 == 256 prefixes avaible). So, I have Ipv6 working on one pfSense LAN.
        And things get even better : impossible to open ports to this prefix so i can access IPv6 to access a device (my NAS) using IPv6.
        Very few ISPs are fully IPv6 compliant, many have implementation issues, they do thing 'their way'. And they are not documenting their miss-interpretation. There is still a "IPv4 works, and IPv6 maybe, if you can make it work" culture.

        I've been using this IPv6 ISP for nearly a decade https://tunnelbroker.net/, it is free, you have your own /48, so your good for 65535 LANs, each with its own /64. They handled IPv6 as it is written in the book. They actually wrote that book (RFC).

        There was one condition, though : you had to go through https://ipv6.he.net/certification/ : they ware actually asked that you learned how to use IPv6 before using it.

        No "help me" PM's please. Use the forum, the community will thank you.
        Edit : and where are the logs ??

        M 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • M
          mystic330 @Gertjan
          last edited by

          Thanks.

          I'm not seeing much in the DHCP log:
          ea1f6628-52c8-406f-8fed-8906d8caaebf-image.png

          I do have an IP on the WAN interface however:
          92f30e3b-70b3-45b3-85a3-cd8ebc6d64cd-image.png

          I have the requisite config on the DHCPv6 for the WAN:
          952d01e2-e814-411c-a3e9-5c45062c6524-image.png

          As I said, my LAN hosts are getting IPv6 addresses, so I'm assuming RA is working and it's possibly from the delegated /64 - but I can't verify.

          Do you have an actual IPv6 address assigned to your LAN interface based on the "track" function??
          (Status -> Interfaces)
          I only see a link-local address:
          bc18b582-5a8b-4b02-a8a5-fe7680197504-image.png

          M 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • M
            mystic330 @mystic330
            last edited by

            Adding....

            My DHCPv6 config screen doesn't show the actual delegated /64 like yours (and others) show - but instead just "WAN1_STARLINK/0/64"

            I don't think delegation is working on my setup.... Although my LAN hosts are getting IPv6 addresses from somewhere....

            7dab1373-5aeb-468d-a825-a2d9db6c52cc-image.png

            P 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • P
              pst @mystic330
              last edited by

              @mystic330 said in IPv6 over Starlink:

              My DHCPv6 config screen doesn't show the actual delegated /64 like yours (and others) show - but instead just "WAN1_STARLINK/0/64"

              I had the same problem once after adding a new LAN with IPv6 tracking the WAN. It was solved by doing a Release / Renew on the WAN interface (under Status / Interfaces). Once the WAN had reconnected the DHCPv6 config screen showed the correct prefix.

              M 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • M
                mystic330 @pst
                last edited by

                It’s gone from bad to worse now…
                I hit release /renew on the WAN, gave it several mins and neither v6 or v4 worked - got no addresses on either. I was hard down.
                I had to reboot the Starlink router - once it came back I have v4 connectivity but I’m still not getting any v6 address - routable or link-local…
                22651020-e0a0-46b9-973f-a41f04a190d2-image.png

                I don’t think this v6 code is ready for prime time 🙁

                M GertjanG 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • M
                  mystic330 @mystic330
                  last edited by

                  The log indicates a “ transmit failed: Can't assign requested address”
                  Is there some cache that needs to be cleared?

                  ee7abf5a-3044-420e-b437-b74c46dce6c6-image.png

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • GertjanG
                    Gertjan @mystic330
                    last edited by

                    @mystic330 said in IPv6 over Starlink:

                    It’s gone from bad to worse now…
                    I hit release /renew on the WAN, gave it several mins and neither v6 or v4 worked - got no addresses on either. I was hard down.
                    I had to reboot the Starlink router - once it came back I have v4 connectivity but I’m still not getting any v6 address - routable or link-local…

                    The two are not related.
                    The dhcpc (IPv4 !) will emit a request for IPv4lease - you can see this happening in the DHCP log, just locate (Ctrl-F) all the lines with the 'dhcpc' lines.
                    If there is no answer from the upstream dhcp IPv4 server .... well ... that's an issue on its own. If you need to reboot the upstream starlink stuff, that's pretty lame.
                    To get more info : use the search button at the top, enter 'Starlink' and you'll find many posts about startlink and WAN issues.

                    This :

                    0887889e-d094-4d12-b589-0f3aa99845bd-image.png

                    and the absence of log lines from dhcp6c (the DHCP client IPv6 process) where you can see (see my example) that the dhcp6c is asking for a lease, and get one (one at lease) means that

                    1. you get an IPv6 address for your LAN :

                    66c781ff-6434-4581-aa50-bc239709ee8f-image.png

                    Btw : this option is somewhat strange :

                    976662aa-bce2-456d-b327-2d25369abbe0-image.png

                    You don't want just prefix(es), you want also an IPv6 address for your WAN .... right ( ? )

                    Try this : Hook up on the starlink router another device, like a PC.
                    When connected : check the starlink router GUI for Ipv6 leases it handed over, or type

                    ipconfig /all
                    

                    on your PC.
                    Did it get an IPv6 like 2605:59c8:5200;bbb0:a.b.c.d ?

                    If so, the DHCP6 starlink server (in your router, or further upstream) hands over IPv6 addresses, but ...
                    no prefixes ?

                    The thing is, your pfSense is not a normal end device like a PC, its a router.
                    It needs a IPv6 for it's WAN needs, like a PC.
                    But it has also, on the other side, a LAN interface, and on this interface you can connect many devices.
                    Hence the need of a 'pool' of IPv6 addresses that it, pfSense, can hand over to these end user devices, exactly like the upstream router to which pfSense is connected.
                    These 'pools' are the prefixes. One is needed per pfSense LAN.
                    If Starlink doesn't give you a prefix, pfSense can't hand over IPv6 lease on the LAN side, as it has no FHCPv6 pool to do so.

                    Again : this means :

                    f48ee447-1fe7-4fac-bb92-5f66c268b088-image.png

                    that pfSense did not obtain a prefix for that LAN.

                    It is very possible that the starlink router can only give IPv6 addresses for devices connected, like PCs, phones etc.
                    But if it does not support to 'lease' IPv6 prefixes : this means you can't use a down stream router like pfSense, and propagate IPv6 addresses on its LAN.

                    No "help me" PM's please. Use the forum, the community will thank you.
                    Edit : and where are the logs ??

                    M 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • M
                      mystic330 @Gertjan
                      last edited by

                      They are related in that I had both v4 and v6 addresses on my WAN interface - just delegation wasn’t working - and I clicked “release” based on a suggestion here, and both v4 and v6 DHCP stopped working altogether.
                      I not worried about the v4 issue - just found it odd - this is a v6 troubleshooting thread and I’m specifically looking at/posting logs from the “dhcp6c” processes and help on how to troubleshoot v6 on pfsense. I’m way beyond the router vs end-node, ip addressing, etc stage (CCIE for 15 years)

                      I was previously getting a v6 address on my WAN interface, so I know Starlink is handing out/supports DHCPv6 and I was also getting a gateway so I know RA was working. (Now I need to troubleshoot why it suddenly stopped)
                      (I didn't realize the Only send prefix checkbox was checked - as I was trying different options it must've gotten checked - Thanks, I'll uncheck that).

                      What wasn’t working is delegation of a /56 from Starlink and the first /64 (with ID 0) to my LAN interface. My LAN interface never reported a routable v6 address (which I believe is keeping my dhcpv6 server on the LAN interface from working). For those of you that have v6 delegation working from your ISP, do you have a routable v6 address from the delegated block assigned to your LAN interface?? I know this is not required as a link-local address as the gateway on the LAN will allow routing to work, but I never see any dhcpv6 leases being handed out and I believe not having a v6 address on the LAN interface is the reason….

                      M 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • M
                        mystic330 @mystic330
                        last edited by

                        32dc6ea4-9d48-4831-8856-1e12d0308db0-image.png

                        This is from starlink's web site. They claim they delegate a /56.

                        M 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • M
                          mystic330 @mystic330
                          last edited by mystic330

                          OK - When in doubt - REBOOT!

                          With all the standard v6 settings as shown in other posts, a reboot brought everything into a working as expected state!

                          I have a routable v6 address on my LAN interface:
                          d62bbb5e-2734-416f-8b68-b466d00f6c24-image.png

                          ...which allows the DHCPv6 server to work on the LAN interface as I now have v6 leases showing:
                          e70f576f-c282-47fc-a918-d24be2f3c897-image.png


                          Here's my config for others to reference:

                          WAN interface - v6 address set to DHCPv6
                          b9c15116-fe62-44ec-80e6-41361ca78b50-image.png

                          LAN interface - v6 address set to "Track interface":
                          f9726875-2174-4be6-b968-5dea155f8f63-image.png
                          ...with the track interface set to the WAN interface getting the v6 delegation and the prefix ID set (0 in this case refers to the first /64 within the delegation (/56 in the case of Starlink):
                          f1227587-9bbf-4fb9-81f6-48fb0507d150-image.png

                          Then enable DHCPv6 server on the LAN interface:
                          571a715e-be30-4268-9ba3-c3cf106a4943-image.png

                          Thanks for everybody's help!

                          GertjanG 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • GertjanG
                            Gertjan @mystic330
                            last edited by

                            @mystic330

                            063f2baf-28cd-436c-ac73-ba88dc7a0255-image.png

                            256 prefixes available 👍

                            32 of these ....

                            No "help me" PM's please. Use the forum, the community will thank you.
                            Edit : and where are the logs ??

                            T 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • T
                              timg_11 @Gertjan
                              last edited by

                              @Gertjan Hi I just joined this forum for this thread.
                              After registering and logging in all of the images of screen captures are showing as "UUID-string.png" clicking on them displays "Not Found".

                              What do I need to do to see the embedded images?

                              bmeeksB A 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • bmeeksB
                                bmeeks @timg_11
                                last edited by

                                @timg_11 said in IPv6 over Starlink:

                                @Gertjan Hi I just joined this forum for this thread.
                                After registering and logging in all of the images of screen captures are showing as "UUID-string.png" clicking on them displays "Not Found".

                                What do I need to do to see the embedded images?

                                A few months ago the forum software experienced a serious crash and many links to images in posts were irreparably broken. Unfortunately, the links you seek were among those broken.

                                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                • JKnottJ
                                  JKnott @mystic330
                                  last edited by

                                  @mystic330 said in IPv6 over Starlink:

                                  It seems like I'm getting delegated /64s through DHCPv6 (LAN hosts are getting non local-link addresses)

                                  Does Starlink provide a prefix through DHCPv6-PD? Or just the one /64? My cell phone does the latter.

                                  PfSense running on Qotom mini PC
                                  i5 CPU, 4 GB memory, 32 GB SSD & 4 Intel Gb Ethernet ports.
                                  UniFi AC-Lite access point

                                  I haven't lost my mind. It's around here...somewhere...

                                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • A
                                    adaviel @timg_11
                                    last edited by

                                    @timg_11 The images are available on the Wayback machine at archive.org.
                                    I just did the same thing as you, but I'm trying to route IPv6 on Linux

                                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
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