IPv6 Support

General Information

BMC Helix Network Management currently has limited support for the IPv6 protocol. This article outlines where and how IPv6 is supported in BMC Helix Network Management.

Currently, new BMC Helix Network Management deployments based on Red Hat Linux 8 (RHEL 8) have IPv6 support disabled in the OS by default. If you wish to use IPv6 with BMC Helix Network Management, it must be manually enabled in the VM console by a BMC Helix Network Management administrator (see the configuration section below). This may be done during or after deployment. (BMC Helix Network Management deployments based on CentOS 6 have base IPv6 support enabled in the OS by default.)

Even after base support has been enabled in the VM, IPv6 options for features in BMC Helix Network Management must still be either manually enabled, or manually selected at time of use.

Features That DO Support IPv6

IPv6 is supported for the following:

• As the host address for the BMC Helix Network Management VM when only a single appliance is deployed. (Do not deploy multiple appliances (service engines, high availability nodes, BMC Helix Network Management Overview and clients) together using IPv6 addresses)
• Device addition using the Manual Add (not Quick Add) tool and the Import tool. (IP address fields support both IPv6 address and FQDN values.)
• Host availability checking for devices using the "Ping This Host" service check (added by the "Default" device template). (Host availability checking using other means may not function properly.)
• Polling of statistical (performance) data from SNMP devices only. (Windows-based and API-based polling is not yet supported.)
• Display of IPv6 addresses for managed devices in all location in the UI and in reports
• Display of IPv6 addresses within traffic flow analysis tools (such as the Traffic Summary dashboard widget)
• SNMP-based (only) credential checking using the Credentials and Connectivity Test tool
• All BMC Helix Network Management-based APIs
• Some SNMP-based service checks may work, but are not yet officially supported

Features That DO NOT Support IPv6

IPv6 is not supported for the following:

• As the host address for BMC Helix Network Management VMs when multiple appliances are deployed together. (Currently, BMC Helix Network Management cannot communicate internally with other BMC Helix Network Management VMs (service engines, high availability nodes, BMC Helix Network Management Overview and clients) using IPv6 addresses)
• Auto-discovery  and addition of devices via:
  • Subnet scan
  • Syslog (or other log) delivery
  • SNMP trap delivery
  • NetFlow (or other traffic flow) packet delivery
• Polling of statistical data from Windows-based devices
• Polling of statistical data from any monitored resource via API
• Receiving or processing of:
  • Logs
  • SNMP traps
  • NetFlow (or other traffic flow) packets
• Windows-based credential checking using the Credentials and Connectivity Test tool

Configuring BMC Helix Network Management for IPv6 Support

The BMC Helix Network Management VM

For RHEL 8-based BMC Helix Network Management deployments, IPv6 must be manually enabled on the VM before any IPv6 options within BMC Helix Network Management will function. This is done through the VM console.

Enabling IPv6 in the VM console also dynamically configures the appliance IP address to an IPv6 address (currently, BMC Helix Network Management does not support configuring your own static IPv6 address).

To enable base IPv6 support in a RHEL 8-based BMC Helix Network Management appliance, follow the steps below.

1. In your hypervisor, activate the console for your BMC Helix Network Management VM.
2. Log in to BMC Helix Network Management using the following credentials:
   • Username: config
   • Password: omniconf
3. Enter 2 to select Networking Options.
4. Enter 6 to select Enable IPv6 (or Disable IPv6).
   • IPv6 base support is enabled in BMC Helix Network Management.
   • An IPv6 address is dynamically assigned to the BMC Helix Network Management appliance.
5. You may now leave the console and log in to BMC Helix Network Management.

If you disable IPv6 using the console, an IPv4 address will be dynamically assigned to the appliance. You may then change this address using the standard instructions in here - Deploy a BMC Helix Network Management Virtual Appliance.

BMC Helix Network Management Administration

By default, BMC Helix Network Management attempts to communicate with devices (for things like availability checking, statistical data polling, etc.) using IPv4. If you have managed devices configured with IPv6 addresses, IPv6 must be manually selected as the preferred protocol. Otherwise, BMC Helix Network Management will continue to attempt to communicate with those devices using IPv4.

Selecting IPv6 as the preferred protocol may be done either globally in System Preferences or per device in Device Administration.

It is technically safe to set the global preference in System Preferences to IPv6, even if most of your devices are using IPv4 addresses. If a device does not respond using IPv6, BMC Helix Network Management will attempt to use IPv4. However, this may introduce system performance issues with large numbers of devices. So, it is recommended to determine if the majority of your devices use IPv4 or IPv6 addresses, and set the global preference to that. Then set individual devices to prefer the less used protocol using the override setting on the device's Device Administration page (this may be done automatically using the auto configuration rules).

Set the Global IP Protocol Preference

1. Log in to BMC Helix Network Management as a user with the administrator access level or higher.
2. From the main menu, select Administration >> System >> Preferences to open the System Preferences page.
3. Locate the System Options panel.
4. Locate the PREFERRED IP PROTOCOL VERSION field.
5. Select the protocol BMC Helix Network Management should try first when communicating with devices.
6. Click the Save Changes button.

Set a Per Device IP Protocol Override

1. Log in to BMC Helix Network Management as a user with the administrator access level or higher.
2. Navigate to the Device Dashboard of the managed device on which you wish to set an IP protocol override.
3. Click on the small gear icon at the top right of the dashboard to open the Device Administration page.
4. On the Main tab, click Show Advanced Options.
5. Locate the IP PROTOCOL VERSION field.
6. Select the protocol BMC Helix Network Management should try first when communicating with this device.
7. Click the Apply Changes button.