Microsoft has recently posted the update for PNRP (Peer Name Resolution Protocol) [...]]]> This was something I found earlier in the week, but haven’t had a chance to blog about it yet.  I also haven’t tried it yet as I am currently dogfooding Vista in the last push to find bugs on all but my Server machines.

Microsoft has recently posted the update for PNRP (Peer Name Resolution Protocol) for Windows XP to make it compatible with PNRP v2 that is contained in Windows Vista.  Theoretically, this will allow you to use PNRP on a XP-based machine to connect (I would say a tunnel better describes this process) to IPV6 aware services on a Vista machine, without any other setup (i.e., no Dynamic DNS or IP address knowledge would be required).  I say this is theoretical as I haven’t had a chance to try this as of yet with either IIS or Remote Desktop.

In the near future, I will be releasing an article that describes how to configure PNRP on a Windows Vista box and then how to connect to it from any another desktop running Vista or a properly configured Windows XP SP2 machine.

Note that you need to have IPV6 enabled on the Windows XP SP2 machine and install the Peer to Peer Networking Services.

For more background, check out this KB Article.

For the download, click here.

http://freedns.afraid.org/ (I haven’t [...]]]> For those of you who are playing with the increased IPV6 support in Windows Vista, here are a few dynamic DNS services that can put a friendly named to your IPV6 address (mainly for those using a Teredo tunnel as people using a 6to4 connection normally are NOT behind a NAT gateway):

http://freedns.afraid.org/ (I haven’t used them yet, but they do offer the service)
http://www.6dns.org/ (I am currently using them).

MAKE SURE THAT YOU LEAVE THE WINDOWS FIREWALL ENABLED TO PROTECT FROM UNWANTED IPV6 CONNECTIONS

This build has most of the new networking improvements checked in (but not all, if I remember correctly from the summit). So be sure to play around with the new IPV6 and IPSec support. I am still in the process of [...]]]> The October CTP build of Windows Vista has been released today.

This build has most of the new networking improvements checked in (but not all, if I remember correctly from the summit). So be sure to play around with the new IPV6 and IPSec support. I am still in the process of downloading this (at the office), but won’t have time to install and test until much later this week (I am off of my vacation now — — so work is first).

There is also a checked build of LH Server, which is needed to make some of the nice (i.e., NAP (Network Access Protection) and IPSec domain protection) work.

Also, check your mailboxes for some new developments in the R2 world.

Tags: Vista, R2, Longhorn

A lot of the “goodies” [...]]]> Continuing on my series posting from the network portion of the MVP Summit (sorry for the delay in posting but I am still in Seattle – this time on vacation – and I have been in non-stop activities), I will post some about the improvements in IPV6 included in Windows Vista.

A lot of the “goodies” won’t appear until Beta 2 but a few “might” appear in an upcoming interim build. IPV6 is turned on by default – either using native mode or one of the three tunneling methods (ISATAP, 6to4, or Teredo). Each has its strong points:

• ISATAP – Used for internal networks.
• 6to4 – Used for machines that are directly connected to the internet without a NAT (network address translation) device
• Teredo – Used for machines behind NAT devices (i.e., home computers)

All of these technologies are currently available in Windows XP. However, each implementations have limitations that reduce their usefulness. Microsoft is addressing many of these shortcomings in Windows Vista.

I see great potential in Teredo – especially with helping end users with Remote Desktop connectivity. The biggest hurdle in implementing Remote Desktop is the limitation that using a NAT device (i.e., SOHO router, internet connection sharing) causes. Teredo allows tunnelling through the NAT device directly without any overly complicated port forwarding. The two hurdles yet to overcome is the configurability of an IPV6 firewall and the availability of a IPV6 compatible dynamic dns service.

I’ll post more on IPV6 after I get a chance to play with the October interim build (whenever it may arrive) instead of just relying on demos and powerpoint slide decks.

Tags: IPV6, MVPSummit, MVP Summit

Find out how IPv6 will revolutionize networking in general and your organization in particular. Discuss how you can harness the power of this cutting-edge technology, as implemented in Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 1. Get ahead of [...]]]> I have just been notified about an upcoming MS Chat about IPV6:

Find out how IPv6 will revolutionize networking in general and your organization in particular. Discuss how you can harness the power of this cutting-edge technology, as implemented in Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 1. Get ahead of the curve by learning how IPv6 works, what advantages it offers, and what deployment scenarios you should consider. Suggested reading includes IPv6 Technical Reference.
June 22, 2004
10:00 – 11:00 A.M. Pacific time
1:00 – 2:00 P.M. Eastern time
17:00 – 18:00 GMT

Join the chat room on the day of the chat: http://communities2.microsoft.com/home/chatroom.aspx?siteid=34000015

I can make this chat since it is during the lunch hour, so I’ll see some of y’all there…�