Customer Service Center

As of Spirent TestCenter 4.45, a new feature allows multiple addresses and prefixes to be requested in a single Solicit/Request message.  This article goes over the steps to configure this.

• Spirent TestCenter
  • v4.45 and above
  • DHCPv6/PD
  • requires BPK-1320A DHCPv6/PD Multiple Addresses Base Package

1. Create DHCPv6/PD device blocks (these would represent the CPE)
   1. Go to the Device grid
      1. Click “Add…”
      2. “Select Protocols” step, select “None” (we’ll enable DHCPv6/PD later)
      3. In the remaining steps, configure as needed
      4. Click “Finish”
   2. Go to the “DHCPv6/PD” tab
      1. Click “Active”
      2. Configure the options as needed
2. Create another N IPv6 encapsulated device blocks (these would represent the hosts behind the CPE)
   1. If IA_Prefix
      then N = the number of IA_Prefix options the server will send
      else N * <device count> = the number of IA_Address options the server will send
      
      That is, for the :
                IA_Prefix case:
                     if the server will send 6 IA_Prefix options you will need 6 host device blocks
                IA_Address case:
                     if the server will send 6 IA_Address options you will need device block/device count combination that will sum to 6
                          1 device blocks with device count = 6; or
                          2 device blocks each with device count = 3; or
                          3 device blocks each with device count = 2; or
                          6 device blocks each with device count = 1; or
      
                          2 device blocks each with device count = 2; and 
                          2 device blocks each with device count = 1;
   2. Perform same steps as 1.1 for each device block
3. Now link the CPE device block to the host device blocks
   1. Click on “Create Links…”
      
       
   2. Select the CPE device block and click “Add”
      
       
   3. Select the CPE device block you just added
      Select the link type “DHCPv6 IAID Host Link”
      Select the host device blocks
      Click “Add”
      
       
   4. Click “Finish”
4. Configure the IA type (either IA_Address or IA_Prefix)
   1. Click on “Edit Links…”
      
       
   2. Click on the “DHCPv6 IAID Host Links” tab
      Select the “Address Request Type”
      
   3. Click “Close”

Here's what the Device Grid will look like for a configuration where a CPE requests 3 IA_Addr and 3 IA_Prefix options.  This 4.46 configuration and resultant pcap is also attached.

• In previous Spirent TestCenter versions (lower than 4.45), if the DHCPv6/PD server sent Advertise messages with > 1 IA_NA or IA_PD, the STC DHCPv6/PD client would bind.
• With this new feature, the number of IA_Addr and IA_Prefix options sent by the server must match exactly the way the Spirent TestCenter DHCPv6/PD client is configured or the clients will not bind.
  • See KNI13413 - Spirent TestCenter: In 4.45 DHCP-PD doesn't respond to Advertise message from DHCP-PD server but it used to in 4.39