[GH-ISSUE #5877] Feature request: IPv6 SLAAC host routing and DNS name resolution via subnet routing peers #12231

New Issue

saavagebueno · 2026-08-05T01:32:42-04:00

saavagebueno commented

2026-08-05 01:32:42 -04:00

Originally created by @renne on GitHub (Apr 14, 2026).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/netbirdio/netbird/issues/5877

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.

Netbird subnet routing peers forward IPv4 and IPv6 traffic to LAN hosts, but DNS-based name resolution for IPv6 SLAAC hosts is fundamentally broken by design:

SLAAC does not update DNS. IPv6 SLAAC (RFC 4862) derives interface IDs from MAC addresses (EUI-64) or privacy extensions. There is no DHCPv6 DNS update, no PTR record registration, no AAAA record — the host simply does not exist in DNS.
Netbird's DNS route feature requires DNS. The "DNS Routes" feature (domain → routing peer → local DNS resolution) assumes a functional upstream DNS server with A/AAAA records for the routed domain. SLAAC hosts have none.
Wildcard domain resources hit the same wall. A wildcard resource *.home.lan with DNS Wildcard Routing enabled forwards DNS queries to the routing peer's local resolver — but if the target host is SLAAC-only, there is nothing for the resolver to return.

Practical impact today: any SOHO or enterprise IPv6 deployment without a DHCPv6 server and DNS-update integration (stateless SLAAC is the default on most home routers) has LAN hosts that are IP-reachable through a Netbird subnet route but completely unreachable by hostname.

Future impact: when Netbird adds native IPv6 peer addressing or IPv6 subnet routing, SLAAC-only sites will be second-class citizens with no DNS name access.

Describe the solution you'd like

There are several complementary approaches, ideally implemented in increasing order of complexity:

Option A — NDP-based host table on routing peer (short term)
The routing peer scans its LAN for IPv6 neighbors (NDP / ip -6 neigh) and builds a name→AAAA mapping using either:

Reverse DNS (PTR lookup of the SLAAC address) if available
mDNS AAAA records if the host announces itself via mDNS

This table is then made available to Netbird's DNS forwarder and/or Custom Zone push (see companion mDNS proxy issue).

Option B — radvd / RDNSS integration (medium term)
If the routing peer runs radvd or a DHCPv6 server with DNS update support (e.g. dnsmasq with dhcp-script), Netbird could integrate with that local DNS to resolve SLAAC addresses by hostname.

Option C — Netbird-native SLAAC tracker (long term)
The routing peer monitors NDP traffic, correlates MAC→SLAAC addresses, and publishes AAAA records into a Netbird Custom Zone (same mechanism as the mDNS proxy proposal). Records are TTL-managed; hosts that stop responding to NDP probes are removed.

Describe alternatives you've considered

Switch from SLAAC to DHCPv6 with DNS update — Requires reconfiguring every router and host; not feasible on ISP-provided hardware.
Add static AAAA records to Custom Zones — Static; breaks when privacy-extension addresses rotate.
Use IP addresses directly — Requires manually tracking unstable SLAAC addresses; not practical for users.

Additional context

Related companion issue: mDNS unicast proxy on routing peers — the NDP + mDNS discovery mechanism proposed there is the cleanest path to solving SLAAC name resolution as well (AAAA records from mDNS AAAA responses + NDP neighbor table).
RFC 6762 mDNS AAAA responses are the most widely deployed SLAAC name announcement mechanism on modern OSes (Linux avahi, macOS mDNSResponder, Windows mDNS).
Privacy extensions (RFC 8981) cause SLAAC addresses to rotate periodically — any solution must handle address churn without manual intervention.

Originally created by @renne on GitHub (Apr 14, 2026). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/netbirdio/netbird/issues/5877 **Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.** Netbird subnet routing peers forward IPv4 and IPv6 traffic to LAN hosts, but DNS-based name resolution for IPv6 SLAAC hosts is fundamentally broken by design: 1. **SLAAC does not update DNS.** IPv6 SLAAC (RFC 4862) derives interface IDs from MAC addresses (EUI-64) or privacy extensions. There is no DHCPv6 DNS update, no PTR record registration, no AAAA record — the host simply does not exist in DNS. 2. **Netbird's DNS route feature requires DNS.** The "DNS Routes" feature (domain → routing peer → local DNS resolution) assumes a functional upstream DNS server with A/AAAA records for the routed domain. SLAAC hosts have none. 3. **Wildcard domain resources hit the same wall.** A wildcard resource `*.home.lan` with DNS Wildcard Routing enabled forwards DNS queries to the routing peer's local resolver — but if the target host is SLAAC-only, there is nothing for the resolver to return. Practical impact today: any SOHO or enterprise IPv6 deployment without a DHCPv6 server and DNS-update integration (stateless SLAAC is the default on most home routers) has LAN hosts that are IP-reachable through a Netbird subnet route but completely unreachable by hostname. Future impact: when Netbird adds native IPv6 peer addressing or IPv6 subnet routing, SLAAC-only sites will be second-class citizens with no DNS name access. **Describe the solution you'd like** There are several complementary approaches, ideally implemented in increasing order of complexity: **Option A — NDP-based host table on routing peer (short term)** The routing peer scans its LAN for IPv6 neighbors (NDP / `ip -6 neigh`) and builds a name→AAAA mapping using either: - Reverse DNS (PTR lookup of the SLAAC address) if available - mDNS AAAA records if the host announces itself via mDNS This table is then made available to Netbird's DNS forwarder and/or Custom Zone push (see companion mDNS proxy issue). **Option B — radvd / RDNSS integration (medium term)** If the routing peer runs radvd or a DHCPv6 server with DNS update support (e.g. dnsmasq with `dhcp-script`), Netbird could integrate with that local DNS to resolve SLAAC addresses by hostname. **Option C — Netbird-native SLAAC tracker (long term)** The routing peer monitors NDP traffic, correlates MAC→SLAAC addresses, and publishes AAAA records into a Netbird Custom Zone (same mechanism as the mDNS proxy proposal). Records are TTL-managed; hosts that stop responding to NDP probes are removed. **Describe alternatives you've considered** 1. **Switch from SLAAC to DHCPv6 with DNS update** — Requires reconfiguring every router and host; not feasible on ISP-provided hardware. 2. **Add static AAAA records to Custom Zones** — Static; breaks when privacy-extension addresses rotate. 3. **Use IP addresses directly** — Requires manually tracking unstable SLAAC addresses; not practical for users. **Additional context** - Related companion issue: mDNS unicast proxy on routing peers — the NDP + mDNS discovery mechanism proposed there is the cleanest path to solving SLAAC name resolution as well (AAAA records from mDNS AAAA responses + NDP neighbor table). - RFC 6762 mDNS AAAA responses are the most widely deployed SLAAC name announcement mechanism on modern OSes (Linux avahi, macOS mDNSResponder, Windows mDNS). - Privacy extensions (RFC 8981) cause SLAAC addresses to rotate periodically — any solution must handle address churn without manual intervention.

saavagebueno commented

2026-08-05 01:32:42 -04:00

@renne commented on GitHub (Apr 14, 2026):

Related issues (filed together):

#5875 — mDNS unicast proxy on routing peers (NDP + mDNS discovery mechanism proposed there directly addresses SLAAC AAAA name resolution)
#5876 — Wildcard DNS domain conflict for multi-site SOHO deployments (companion architectural issue; per-network zone suffixes solve both)

@renne commented on GitHub (Apr 14, 2026): **Related issues (filed together):** - #5875 — mDNS unicast proxy on routing peers (NDP + mDNS discovery mechanism proposed there directly addresses SLAAC AAAA name resolution) - #5876 — Wildcard DNS domain conflict for multi-site SOHO deployments (companion architectural issue; per-network zone suffixes solve both)

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Reference: DYNR/netbird#12231