Microsoft

Microsoft released the first research IPv6 stack in 1998. It runs on Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000. It does not work on Windows 95/98. If you have Windows 95/98 or Windows ME or SE, you can use Trumpet’s Winsock or consider upgrading to Windows XP, which includes an IPv6 stack. If you have the choice, I strongly recommend that you play with the Windows XP version. It is currently the most developed Microsoft stack and has many features that the research stack for Windows NT and Windows 2000 do not have. Also, when you install Windows XP, you get a great online help with very thorough information about IPv6 and how to use the stack and a guide for setting up a test environment.

Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000

The installation is pretty simple—the stack is stable, and it can even be used as a router. This is obviously not its primary use, but it is a nice feature if you want to play with it.

To find information, FAQs, and the download page for the latest versions of Microsoft’s IPv6 stack, go to http://www.microsoft.com/ipv6/.

Installation

To install the IPv6 stack, run setup.exe from the location to which you extracted the IPv6 files. Then go to the Network and Dial-Up Connection window, click on the connection where you want to add the IPv6 protocol and click on Properties. Choose Install Protocol, click Add, and select the IPv6 Protocol.

The Microsoft IPv6 Protocol is automatically added to all Ethernet interfaces on your computer. The setup program copies the protocol ...

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