TSLM and IPv6 configuration

TSLM supports both IPv4 and IPv6 TCP/IP communication protocols. The default communication protocol used by TSLM is IPv4. IPv6 is the next generation of the Internet Protocol. The usage of IPv6 with TSLM must be explicitly enabled for the Media Manager. This enablement is done with the configuration communication method parameter <CommMethod> in the Media Manager mm.xml configuration file.

Table 1. Communication method for Media Manager
Communication Method `<CommMethod>`	Explanation
ipv4	The Media Manager accepts IPv4 traffic only. A connection from a client trying to connect to the Media Manager using IPv6 is refused. This is the default setting.
ipv6	The Media Manager accepts IPv4 and IPv6 traffic. Connections from clients using either IPv4 or IPv6 are allowed. The Media Manager opens a dedicated network socket for each protocol.
ipv6only	The Media Manager accepts only IPv6 traffic. A connection from a client trying to connect to the Media Manager using IPv4 is refused.

Each operating system and version has specific prerequisites and limitations for IPv6. For example, some operating systems require additional patches to support IPv6. Furthermore, there are different types and scopes of IPv6 addresses that have an impact on how network endpoints communicate over IPv6. As of the time of this writing, there are kernel limitations for link-local IPv6 addresses on the Linux® operating system. Consult the manuals provided by the operating system vendor on how to configure your system for IPv6.

Note that TSLM also supports Domain Name Service (DNS) entries in the configuration files. If you use DNS names, either with IPv4 or IPv6, it is absolutely mandatory that you configure DNS and name/address look-up correctly in your network infrastructure and that you set the Media Manager communication method <CommMethod> accordingly. Otherwise, TSLM might not operate properly. Delays in resolution of DNS names because of a wrong configuration or network saturation cause TSLM operations to slow down.

For the Host Drive Manager (HDM) and the Command Line Interface (CLI), you must explicitly enable the use of IPv6. Use the configuration parameter ipv6support in the corresponding configuration file. The default communication method is IPv4. If IPv6 is enabled in the HDM or the CLI, ensure that the Media Manager is able to accept IPv6 traffic. For details on how to enable the Media Manager for IPv6, see Table 1.

Note: For portability reasons, the CLI and HDM are implemented in the Perl programming language. As of this writing, IPv6 support for Perl is not yet included in the Perl distribution and is provided only by an additional Perl module. In order to use IPv6 with the HDM and the CLI, the Perl module `Socket::Class` must be installed. You can find this module and installation instructions at: https://www.cpan.org/ If you use IPv4 in the HDM and CLI, no additional module is needed.

Note: For portability reasons, the CLI and HDM are implemented in the Perl programming language. As of this writing, IPv6 support for Perl is not yet included in the Perl distribution and is provided only by an additional Perl module. In order to use IPv6 with the HDM and the CLI, the Perl module Socket::Class must be installed. You can find this module and installation instructions at:

https://www.cpan.org/

If you use IPv4 in the HDM and CLI, no additional module is needed.