Okay, have a little patience with me. I have a very complicated setup that works perfectly with IPv4, but does not work with IPv6. I hope one of you superstars can help me figure out how to enable IPv6. Here is the basic configuration:
Mac mini:
- Mac mini (late 2012) running Mavericks Server 10.9.5 and VMware Fusion 7.1.0.
- A KDLINKS UN1 USB 3.0 to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter is installed. This is functionally identical to every other brand of USB3/Gigabit Ethernet adapter that is based on the ASIX AX88179 chipset; which is the latest version.
- (I have another identical USB 3.0 to Gigabit Ethernet adapter, still in the box, not attached, in case this might help with the solution.)
- The most recent ASIX Mac driver is installed in the Mac mini, downloaded from ASIX. (The driver on the KDLINKS website driver is slightly older.)
Internet Connection:
- Our connection to the Internet is an ordinary cable modem. The cable modem is a simple bridge, cable to Ethernet. It gets a public (Internet) IP address on the Ethernet interface from the ISP using DHCP, just as you would expect.
VMware Fusion Guest - A Firewall Appliance:
- The VMware Fusion guest is a firewall appliance. Here is its network configuration:
- The internal interface is bridged to the Mac mini built-in Ethernet adapter. It has a fixed private IP address (10-net). It serves as the gateway for the entire home network LAN.
- The external interface is bridged to the USB/Ethernet adapter. The guest firewall appliance gets the public Internet IP address from the ISP via DHCP.
Mac mini Network Configuration:
- Mac mini Network Configuration (OS X 10.9.5 System Preferences, Network):
- The Mac mini's built-in Ethernet is configured with a its own fixed IP address on the private LAN, and is configured to use the guest firewall appliance's private IP address as its gateway and DNS server.
- The Mac mini's USB/Ethernet adapter is set to:
- Configure IPv4: Off
- Advanced... Configure IPv6: Link-local only
- The objective is to make sure that the Mac mini cannot be reached or attacked from the Internet. All Internet traffic should go through guest firewall appliance.
Totally Works with IPv4!
Amazingly, it all works with IPv4 with no problems whatsoever.
IPv6 Supported by ISP and Tested with Time Capsule:
There are no issues with IPv6 when I use an Apple Time Capsule as the firewall / router between the home network and the Internet, using the same cable modem. It is easy to configure, and IPv6 works inside the home LAN and equally well going to servers on the Internet that support IPv6. Tested, Working, Just as Expected.
I would like to use this VMware Fusion guest firewall appliance as our home firewall router for both IPv4 and IPv6, not the Time Capsule.
THE PROBLEM:
The guest firewall appliance cannot acquire an IPv6 address from the ISP. It gets an IPv4 address, but not an IPv6 address.
THE QUESTION:
What can I do so that the guest firewall appliance acquires an IPv6 address, the same way as the Time Capsule did?
- The Mac mini (host) must not expose its interfaces directly to the Internet.
- The Mac mini (host) would route its IPv6 Internet traffic through the guest firewall appliance, the same as its IPv4 Internet traffic.
Any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated.