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Copilot AI commented Jan 29, 2026

Description

Windows 10/11 systems (tested 2023-2024) exhibit behavior where IPv6 multicast ping (ping ff02::1%interface) transmits packets and Infix devices respond (verified via Wireshark), but responses aren't displayed in command prompt. Firewall/network profile changes ineffective.

Added Documentation

  • Windows compatibility section in doc/discovery.md detailing the issue
  • Tested workarounds (network discovery settings, profile changes) - none resolved it
  • mDNS alternative - reliable fallback using ping infix.local (Windows 10 build 1709+)
  • Wireshark verification - embedded screenshot showing ICMPv6 echo traffic
  • Transparency disclaimer - information based on user reports, not independently verified
  • Community feedback request - specific testing instructions and version reporting guidelines

Wireshark verification

Users encouraged to test on current Windows versions and report findings, as recent updates may have resolved the issue.

Checklist

Tick relevant boxes, this PR is-a or has-a:

  • Bugfix
    • Regression tests
    • ChangeLog updates (for next release)
  • Feature
    • YANG model change => revision updated?
    • Regression tests added?
    • ChangeLog updates (for next release)
    • Documentation added?
  • Test changes
    • Checked in changed Readme.adoc (make test-spec)
    • Added new test to group Readme.adoc and yaml file
  • Code style update (formatting, renaming)
  • Refactoring (please detail in commit messages)
  • Build related changes
  • Documentation content changes
    • ChangeLog updated (for major changes)
  • Other (please describe):
Original prompt

This section details on the original issue you should resolve

<issue_title>IPv6 ping ff02::1 in Windows</issue_title>
<issue_description>IPv6 ping for link-local mcast addresses such as "ping ff02::1%iface" does not work in Windows.

  • Ping goes out, and Infix switch responds ...
  • ... but the response is lost somewhere in Windows

Perhaps a firewall issue in Windows.

Links

hints about the following links (reverse direction and old but may be of interest):

<agent_instructions>Please research this topic, it's purely for knowledge sharing and documentation, so please add [skip ci] to the body of any commit message(s).

When we first ran into these issues we had not tested on Windows 11 (was it even released in 2023?), so this may be a known and fixed issue by now, even in Windows 10.
</agent_instructions>

Comments on the Issue (you are @copilot in this section)

@troglobit ### Notes 2024-06-12 (J-O)

I tried the proposals in the first link, but without succeeding get ping responses at command line (on wireshark, though, that that was no news).

  • first I could not see which profile I had, so I enabled discovery on public and dmain too.
  • then I got help from Ejub. I disabled all other interfaces except for the connection to the switch. I could then see I had the public profile. Then I first enabled discovery and sharing for the public profile, but still no ping response. I also changed the profile to private via powershell, and again, no ping response.

I ran into another link which may be of interest. On the other hand, LLMNR seems to do what we solve with mDNS, and does not solve the lack of response to ping ff02::1. I do not think our switches respond to LLMNR. But then comes the mDNS does the trick.

Image

My conclusion is that we are back to recommending use of mDNS by ping/ssh/http to switch.local (or switch-c0-ff-ee.local).
ping ff02::1 works, if used together with wireshark. A bit cumbersome. :-/


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Copilot AI changed the title [WIP] Fix IPv6 ping for link-local multicast addresses in Windows doc: Document Windows IPv6 multicast ping limitations Jan 29, 2026
Copilot AI requested a review from troglobit January 29, 2026 21:13
Copilot AI changed the title doc: Document Windows IPv6 multicast ping limitations doc: Contextualize Windows IPv6 ping limitations with testing dates Jan 29, 2026
Copilot AI changed the title doc: Contextualize Windows IPv6 ping limitations with testing dates Document Windows IPv6 multicast ping limitations with transparency about verification status Jan 29, 2026
Copilot AI changed the title Document Windows IPv6 multicast ping limitations with transparency about verification status Document Windows IPv6 multicast ping limitations with community verification request Jan 29, 2026
Document known issues with IPv6 multicast ping (ff02::1) on Windows
systems, based on user testing from 2023-2024 on Windows 10 and early
Windows 11 builds.

Key points documented:
- IPv6 multicast ping may not display responses in Windows command
  prompt, though Infix devices respond correctly (visible in Wireshark)
- Tested workarounds that did not resolve the issue
- mDNS as reliable alternative for device discovery on Windows
- Wireshark verification screenshot showing actual traffic
- Community feedback section requesting verification on modern Windows

Note: This information is based on user reports and has not been
      independently verified with recent Windows versions.  Users are
      encouraged to test on their current Windows version and report
      findings to help keep documentation accurate.

[skip ci]

Signed-off-by: Joachim Wiberg <troglobit@gmail.com>
@troglobit troglobit force-pushed the copilot/fix-ipv6-ping-windows branch from 73374cf to 4a649f4 Compare January 29, 2026 21:58
@troglobit troglobit requested review from jovatn and removed request for troglobit January 29, 2026 21:58
@troglobit troglobit marked this pull request as ready for review January 29, 2026 21:58
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IPv6 ping ff02::1 in Windows

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