What is the Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface?

Question

I am running Windows 7 Ultimate, and when I do ipconfig /all in the command prompt I get, in addition to the Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection that I expected, something called Tunnel adapter Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface. What is this? What can I use it for?

Answer 1

Teredo is a protocol that allows computers behind a NAT firewall (most home computers are) and without a native IPv6 connection to access remote IPv6 resuorces. The idea is that home users can start accessing IPv6 web services before their local connection supports the protocol, making the transition from IPv4 easier.

Answer 2

Found this after a quick google.

According to wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPv6, it's some sort of a new TCP/IP protocol .

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To make a long story short, it means you have IPv6 installed as part of your networking components. Check the following;

Go to Control Panel and double click Network Connections. Right click on the icon for your Local Area Connection and select Properties from the menu.

On the General page of the properties sheet there's a box which should contain an entry for Microsoft TCP/IP version 6.

I won't bore you with the details but the bottom line is that most people have no need at this time for IPv6. That said, it won't lead to problems if you leave it installed on your computer. That said, uninstalling IPv6 won't cause you to lose your internet connection. The entry you see for Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) is the important one.

If you're curious about IPv6, here's a web site with more information.

IPv6 for Microsoft Windows: Frequently Asked Questions http://www.microsoft.com/technet/network/ipv6/ipv6faq.mspx

Answer 3

If you'd like to disable this in Windows 7:

1. Make sure you are an administrator or have access to an administrator account.
2. Right click on Computer, choose "Manage."
3. In the left-hand menu, under System Tools, left-click on "Device Manager."
4. Now, right-click on "Device Manager."
5. Hover over "View >" and click "Show Hidden Devices" in the menu that pops up.
6. In the center pane, look for a group called "Network Adapters" and expand it by double-clicking on it.
7. You will see a list of all of your adapters, including the one in disabled.

I haven't had any issues after disabling these yet. If I become concerned about accessing resources on an IPv6 network, I will re-enable these.