Android (lack of) support for DHCPv6

Wed Jun 10 11:35:32 UTC 2015

So here is the thing.

You can try to use enhanced functionality which depends on multiple
addresses as justification for saying DHCPv6 is not supported.

In practice, your device will just not be supported.

As you pointed out, there isn't anything that forces adoption of IPv6 right
now.

If your client is broken because of an incomplete implementation, I just
won't give it an IPv6 address at all.  I think a lot of others feel the
same way.

At least on our network, the number of Apple devices dwarf Android by
several times.  With Android being a minority and not implementing DHCPv6
support you force us to make Android a second class citizen.

I'm perfectly find NATing Android, and don't see us giving up the
operational benefits to DHCPv6 anytime soon.

Also, in terms of hotspot functionality being the major driver ... I
already provide ubiquitous wireless coverage.  I don't want users enabling
a hotspot (rogue AP) on campus because it has a negative impact on service
for others, so the whole argument is really meaningless in the context of
higher education and campus networking.

A phone makes a terrible AP when the laptop supports full 802.11ac.  I
really don't know anyone who connects through their phone when WiFi is
available and the phone is also connected to the same WiFi network.  It's
not even a use case I think most people would consider common or valid but
we're using it a justification to not support something that IS very common
and widely deployed.

On Wed, Jun 10, 2015 at 7:16 AM, Lorenzo Colitti <lorenzo at colitti.com>
wrote:

> On Wed, Jun 10, 2015 at 5:31 PM, Sander Steffann <sander at steffann.nl>
> wrote:
>
> > I can also see more deployment issues (much more state in the routers for
> > all those PDs, needing huge amounts of /64s (or larger) to be able to
> deal
> > with a few hundred/thousand clients) but it would be very nice if this
> was
> > possible :)
> >
>
> Well, in IPv4 you can do 16M devices in 10/8. You can divide IPv6 space in
> exactly the same way and give every client a /64. A /24 becomes a /56, and
> your 10/8 becomes a /40. A /40 is really not hard to get.
>

-- 
Ray Patrick Soucy
Network Engineer
University of Maine System

T: 207-561-3526
F: 207-561-3531

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