IPv6 Data Link: VLANs using IEEE 802.1Q Encapsulation

[wsoderberg]

I don't know whether I should laugh or cry. I was browsing Cisco's Feature Navigator when I noticed this feature:

IPv6 Data Link: VLANs using IEEE 802.1Q Encapsulation

Dot1q doesn't have anything to do with the IP layer. If I don't upgrade to another feature set in my C3750G I won't be able to use IPv6 with VLANs?

[Phillip Remaker · Accepted solution]

Sorry for the confusion.  Your are correct that IPv6 has nothing to do with the data link layer.  This feature means that it is possible to configure a Layer 3 IPv6 interface touching an internal logical 802.1q VLAN data link without involving a physical interface.

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/ios/ipv6/configuration/guide/ip6-addrg_bsc_con.html#wp1284021

Some platforms lagged behind others with IPv6 support, so this serves as a shorthand way to tell if you can set up IPv6 interfaces on your VLAN in specific platforms.

This table lists the releases with IPv6 addressing capability on 802.1q VLANs.

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/ios/ipv6/configuration/guide/ip6-addrg_bsc_con.html#wp1348019

Are you already using IPv6 on your 3750G?

[wsoderberg]

So, this feature means that I can configure an IPv6 adress attached to the VLAN?

Configuration example:

interface vlan 100

ipv6 address 2001:db8:1234::1

I'm currently doing a network assessment, we're looking into deploying IPv6. My guess is that it will be deployed early in 2012. It depends entirely on when we can get a native IPv6 connection.

[Phillip Remaker]

Yes, as long as you have the supported IOS version.  For the 3750, it seems that even the lowest possible feature set has this capability.  Should be a quick test: if the command is there, it is almost certainly supported.

Where are you located?  More and more providers are offering native IPv6.

[wsoderberg]

I've looked at the 3750 in Cisco Feature Navigator and only the IP Services feature seems to support this feature there. Where are you looking?

I'm located in Skellefteå, Sweden. The city network here is running IPv6 capable Cisco hardware. But, they haven't updated all their IOS versions yet. So the providers can't deliver IPv6 yet even if they'd like to.

Edit: I find it very hard to see what's not supported in the Feature Navigator.

[Phillip Remaker]

When I checked feature navigator seemed to report that IP Services that is required.

However, please see this Product Bulletin, PB542214:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/switches/ps5718/ps708/product_bulletin_c25_542214.html

Cisco introduced a lot of IPv6 licensing parity with IPv4 as of certain releases  - 12.2(50)SE for the 3750 series.

Unfortunately, it does not specifically mention the 802.1q feature by name in the bulletin.

Armed with that informaiton, I went to Feature Navigator, and it looks like in 12.2(55)SE, the 3750E and 3750X have it in IP base, but the 3750 still shows it in IP services only.  Not sure if that is an oversight in Feature Navigator or something else.  Do you have a way to do a quick check?

Based on PB542214, I'd think the 3750 should have it in IP Base, and I can't fathom why that might not be the case.

[Salman Asadullah]

No, IPv6 and .1Q are not interdependent. The latter is a capability of the switch at Layer 2 and does not require specific licensing. There is no feature set increase required for the combination of the two.

Regards,

Salman