Windows 7 / Networking

IPv6 Enhancements in Windows 7

The TCP/IP networking stack in the Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 platforms had a dual-stack architecture that used separate network and framing layers for IPv4 and IPv6 based on separate drivers: Tcpip.sys and Tcpip6.sys. Only the transport and framing layers for IPv4 were installed by default, and adding support for IPv6 involved installing an additional IPv6 protocol feature through the Network Connections folder.

By contrast, in Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows Server 2008, the TCP/IP stack has been completely redesigned and now uses a dual-IP-layer architecture in which both IPv4 and IPv6 share common transport and framing layers. In addition, IPv6 is installed and enabled by default in these new platforms to provide out-of-the-box support for new features such as the Windows Meeting Space application, which uses only IPv6. Finally, the dual IP layer architecture means that all of the performance enhancements of the Next Generation TCP/IP stack that apply to IPv4 also apply to IPv6. These performance enhancements include Compound TCP, Receive Window Auto-Tuning, and other enhancements that can dramatically improve performance in high-latency, high-delay, and high-loss networking environments.

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In this tutorial:

  1. Deploying IPv6
  2. Understanding IPv6
  3. Understanding IPv6 Terminology
  4. Understanding IPv6 Addressing
  5. Understanding IPv6 Prefixes
  6. Understanding IPv6 Address Types
  7. Understanding Unicast Addresses
  8. Identifying IPv6 Address Types
  9. Understanding Interface Identifiers
  10. Comparing IPv6 with IPv4
  11. Understanding IPv6 Routing
  12. How IPv6 Routing Works
  13. IPv6 Route Determination Process
  14. IPv6 Routing Table Structure
  15. Understanding ICMPv6 Messages
  16. Understanding Neighbor Discovery
  17. Understanding Address Autoconfiguration
  18. Understanding Name Resolution
  19. Understanding Name Queries
  20. Understanding Name Registration
  21. PTR Records and IPv6
  22. IPv6 Enhancements in Windows 7
  23. Summary of IPv6 Enhancements in Windows 7
  24. Configuring and Troubleshooting IPv6 in Windows 7
  25. Configuring IPv6 in Windows 7 Using the User Interface
  26. Configuring IPv6 in Windows 7 Using Netsh
  27. Other IPv6 Configuration Tasks
  28. Enabling or Disabling IPv6
  29. Disabling Random Interface IDs
  30. Resetting IPv6 Configuration
  31. Displaying Teredo Client Status
  32. Troubleshooting IPv6 Connectivity
  33. Planning for IPv6 Migration
  34. Blocking Teredo
  35. Understanding ISATAP
  36. Migrating an Intranet to IPv6
  37. Step 1: Upgrading Your Applications and Services
  38. Step 2: Preparing Your DNS Infrastructure
  39. Step 3: Upgrading Your Hosts
  40. Step 4: Migrating from IPv4-only to ISATAP
  41. Step 5: Upgrading Your Routing Infrastructure
  42. Step 6: Upgrading Your DHCP Infrastructure
  43. Step 7: Migrating from ISATAP to Native IPv6
  44. The Advantages of IPv6
  45. Address Resolution in IPv6