Homegroup - IPv6 absolutely required?

I have tried to get the Windows 7 homegroup feature working between my 2 Win7 systems but failed so far.

Going through several tutorials and writeups I saw that this feature is expected to work only when the machines are connected using IPv6.

My home router apparently supports IPv4 only, but I saw that on both machines there is a 6to4 bridge interface installed and I can actually ping between both system using IPv6 addresses (using ping -6 ...). Is this 6-to-4 bridge enough for the Homegroup feature or does the router itself absolutely have to support IPv6 for this to work?

M.

Sorry - but that's essentially a "I have no idea" answer. Will it work with an IPv4-only router or not?

Anyone who knows this a bit more specificly?

M.

Homegroups requires that the router supports IPv6 in order to work correctly, although most modern routers do have this capiblity.

It should work if your ipconfig shows an address for IPv6. If you can't get Homegroups to work try this registry adjustment which should enable IPv6.


3. Modify IPv6 registry key to enable IPV6
==========================
a. Click Start, type regedit in Search Bar, and then click regedit in the Programs list.

Note: If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type your password or click Continue.

b. Locate and then click the following registry subkey:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\TCPIP6\Parameters

c. Check whether the "DisabledComponents" registry key exists. If so, let's move on the next steps.
d. Double click the "DisabledComponents" registry key and modify the value to 0.

(If the key doesn't exist, please create the key above and assign the value 0)

e. Exit Registry Editor, and then restart the computer.

aem said:

The plan answer is Homegroup absolutely needs IPv6

If you disabled IPv6, you cannot create Homegroup. That's pretty clear to me.

Well, I do have IPv6 enabled and - as I wrote in my initial append - the two system can "see" (i.e. ping) each other using IPv6 (and they both do have an IPv6 address).

aem said:

Again let me say, Ipv6 is an IP address scheme in it's correct definition, and it is not used in the non-commercial (if used in a very limited capacity, certainly not at Home use level). Ipv6 in W7 is cosmetic only and it is a requirement to setup W7 Homegroup. Do not get mixed up with Ipv6 in the true networking sense.

OK, if I interpret that answer correctly, it's not such, that the connection is set up using IPv6 addresses (and thus requires a router in the midst that "understands" IPv6 addresses), but that enabling IPv6 in Win7 quasi as "side-effect" also enables Homegroups. That would mean to me, that my homegroup should work, but alas it does not. :-(

chev65 said:

Homegroups requires that the router supports IPv6 in order to work correctly, although most modern routers do have this capiblity.

It should work if your ipconfig shows an address for IPv6. If you can't get Homegroups to work try this registry adjustment which should enable IPv6.
...

The issue is not that I can't enable IPv6 (it works on both systems) and I also enabled homegroups. In fact, after I did, my second computer detected that new homegroup and it was able to join the homegroup.

But the homegroup then doesn't work!
On the first computer the second computer is listed as part of the homegroup, but I can't access any documents, music, pictures, etc. on that computer.

The second computer (the one that joined) doesn't list any computers as part of the home group, not even the one on which it previously detected the homegroup.

In short: IPv6 is enabled and working, but the homegroup feature doesn't work for me :-(

M.