RA router assisted

Qinn

Maybe I missed out on something, but recently I ran into the RA error (=The Router Advertisements Server is active on this interface and it can be used only with a static IPv6 configuration. Please disable the Router Advertisements Server service on this interface first, then change the interface configuration), this Reddit link easily solved it.

I don't want to open a can of worms, but why is the Services/Router Advertisement/LAN Router Mode only for LAN set to Assisted, when I have no static ipv6 on this interface, when it can bring about the error above ?

Gertjan

@Qinn

RA announces on the LAN to all LAN IPv6 members who the local LAN router is ( = itself).

If your pfSense LAN uses the DHCP(v6) client, the LAN needs to get its IPv6 from 'some where else' then that 'some where else' device needs to run the RA daemon ?
The RA can't (probably) check the DHCP current lease, extract the current IPv6 gateway router, and announces that IPv6 (which could be itself btw).

Btw : a pfSense LAN that uses DHCP .... is the LAN DHCP server some local Microsoft domain ? If so, can this server do RA for you also ?

edit : My thoughts of course, as the more I think to know about IPv6, less sure about it I become.

Qinn

@Gertjan thanks for your reply, I know what RA does, but I do not understand why it is running, when I don't use ipv6. I have 8 interfaces an none of them have a RA running, so the only guess I have is that is default enabled, as default there is only two interfaces LAN and WAN.

Gertjan

@Qinn said in RA router assisted:

why it is running, when I don't use ipv6

Try this : you'll find a reason in it's config file : /ver/etc/radvd.conf

And the manual (the source ^^) says : see here :
Start the radvd deamon if there is at least one (1) IPv6 capable interface.
Afaik, that does not include ::1 or localhost.

So, maybe you don't use IPv6. But your pfSense does ^^ ?

Qinn

@Gertjan I think you mean

/var/etc/

I checked and it gave

[2.8.1-RELEASE][root@pfSense.localdomain]/var/etc: cat radvd.conf
# Automatically Generated, do not edit
[2.8.1-RELEASE][root@pfSense.localdomain]/var/etc:

Gertjan

@Qinn

With that kind of info, radvd will bail out if pfSense tries to start it ^^

ps aux | radvd

I see :
[25.07.1-RELEASE][root@pfSense.bhf.tld]/root: ps aux | grep 'radvd'
root 38503 0.0 0.1 14068 2808 - Ss 20Aug25 1:28.71 /usr/local/sbin/radvd -p /var/run/radvd.pid -C /var/etc/radvd.conf -m syslog

Qinn

I have disabled RA, there is no use for it, as I do not use ipv6