Steve Smith talks about the process required to access the IPv6 Internet over IPv4, and how you can achieve it, too.
Episode #6-18 released on January 18, 2016
The Internet, and how we access servers has been changing for a while. Traditionally, we access the Internet using IP addresses that look like 192.168.1.1, but those are part of the IPv4 standard, and if you didn't already know this, there are no more IPv4 addresses that can be newly assigned.
To combat this, a new standard called IPv6 has been provided, and has been integrated into virtually all operating systems, devices, etc. Many of your devices are already capable of using this standard, many new routers have been able to access such a network of servers, what is lacking, is support from ISPs, mainly because it is expensive, supposedly, and what some of us may believe, they aren't interested in upgrading if the ISP doesn't charge more. Now, despite what your ISP thinks, you can access IPv6 using a few modifications to some compatible IPv6 routers. I will explain to you what the settings you can use are, and even provide a few of the settings required to make it work.
I use an Asus RT-AC56U, and for those who use an Asus router that supports IPv6, and other manufactures that use similar routers, under IPv6 in advanced Settings. If your ISP supported IPv6, you could run in native mode, but if you are one of the unlucky many such as myself, you need other settings. You will need to tunnel through the Internet to an IPv6 service using a different connection type, other than Native.
The other settings are Tunnel 6to4, Tunnel 6in4, or Tunnel 6rd. The easiest way for anyone to implement IPv6, when native option cannot be used, is the Tunnel 6to4 method, which means IPv6 to IPv4.
The 6to4 method has a few tricks that addresses the fact we are technically connecting over an IPv4 network. First, the packet leaves over an Anycast IP address which then converts your 32-bit IPv4 address assigned by the host by appending the IP address to an IPv6 using the 2002:: prefix for the network, which is assigned for IPv4 addresses for just this purpose. All IPv6 addresses coming from 2002:: are IPv4 networks. Once the IPv6 enabled server gets the request, and returns the reply, the IPv6 packet is sent to the Anycast server, which prepends the correct information for the IPv4 client, before sending to the correct device.
Now, it's not nearly as simple to setup as that as that is an over simplification of the method, which you can read in the appended source I provide. The Anycast server does have to be setup correctly, and provide you a few pieces of important information. I personally use Google DNS for all my systems, and therefore, also, use the IPv6 Relay Service. If you have access to your router, which is the easiest way to setup, but not the only way, then you will can use the nameservers for IPv6 provided by Google, which are: Nameserver 1: 2001:4860:4860::8888 and Nameserver 2: 2001:4860:4860::8844. If you have set it up correctly, you will be able to access https://ipv6.google.com/, otherwise you have made a mistake. If you can access this page, you now have access to the majority of the Internet, until your ISP finally upgrades its hardware allowing you to function in native mode. You may be required to edit the IPv6 settings in each device if your ISP has supplied you with the router, and you don't have access to it.
Host : Steve Smith | Music : Jonny Lee Hart | Editor : Steve Smith | Producer : Zed Axis Productions