ipv6 / Thread for Docker

andyjayh · January 6, 2023

I'm running Home Assistant Core as a Docker and I would like to connect to my Thread based devices, Eve Energy plugs mainly. Currently I have a fully setup Thread network with my Apple TV running as the border router. When I connect an Eve plug that has been removed from my HomeKit Home and still has a Thread network, Home Assistant picks it up immediately as available but reports and error connecting to it. I believe this is to do with routing back via ipv6.

Logger: homeassistant.components.homekit_controller.config_flow
Source: components/homekit_controller/config_flow.py:491
Integration: HomeKit Controller (documentation, issues)
First occurred: 14:16:30 (2 occurrences)
Last logged: 14:17:24

Pairing attempt failed with an unhandled exception
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/local/lib/python3.10/site-packages/aiohomekit/controller/coap/connection.py", line 288, in do_pair_setup
    response = await self.pair_setup_client.request(request).response
asyncio.exceptions.CancelledError

During handling of the above exception, another exception occurred:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/src/homeassistant/homeassistant/components/homekit_controller/config_flow.py", line 491, in async_step_pair
    self.finish_pairing = await discovery.async_start_pairing(self.hkid)
  File "/usr/local/lib/python3.10/site-packages/aiohomekit/controller/coap/discovery.py", line 57, in async_start_pairing
    salt, srpB = await self.connection.do_pair_setup(
  File "/usr/local/lib/python3.10/site-packages/aiohomekit/controller/coap/connection.py", line 287, in do_pair_setup
    async with asyncio_timeout(16.0):
  File "/usr/local/lib/python3.10/site-packages/async_timeout/__init__.py", line 129, in __aexit__
    self._do_exit(exc_type)
  File "/usr/local/lib/python3.10/site-packages/async_timeout/__init__.py", line 212, in _do_exit
    raise asyncio.TimeoutError
asyncio.exceptions.TimeoutError

Spoiler

I'm running UnRaid 6.11.5

My Home Assistant container is running on Host network.

I have stopped my Docker service and added ipv6 to my network configuration. This has picked up an address but not a gateway.

From my Mac if I ping6 one of my plugs using this;

ping6 Eve-Energy-7821.local I get a response immediately

If I do the same from my unraid terminal I get "Network is unreachable"

So I assume the first step is to resolve IPv6 for unraid so I can connect to the existing devices?

Then I need to configure my Docker network to use ipv6? Custom network rather than Host?

I've been trying to find answers for this but limited success and there have been a few updates over the last few unraid releases I believe so I thought I would ask now I am on the latest build.

MAM59 · January 6, 2023

15 minutes ago, andyjayh said:

ping6 Eve-Energy-7821.local I get a response immediately

can you tell us what address (V6) is associated with the plug? if it starts with fe80:... you can forget it. These are "interface local" addresses only. So they would be reachble only directly from the UNRAID LAN, not from a docker. Dockers and V6 are currently not very bright...

andyjayh · January 6, 2023

1 hour ago, MAM59 said:

can you tell us what address (V6) is associated with the plug? if it starts with fe80:... you can forget it. These are "interface local" addresses only. So they would be reachble only directly from the UNRAID LAN, not from a docker. Dockers and V6 are currently not very bright...

Sure, fd7e:37b8:e809:465c:4d8:9400:bd1:c05f

It seems like a routing issue. HA detects the Eve plug as it is powered on, just can't route back. The HA docker has an ipv6 address, unraid has an ipv6 address....

MAM59 · January 6, 2023

Ahh, "fdxX::" is an ULA (universal local address). It should be routeable within your lan if you have a properly configured gateway/router for it. You need to add a manual route to unraid for getting to the plug.

Looks like you are running into the strange V6 effect that a device annouces itself through a multicast address, but wants real communication back only on the ULA address.

Find the gateway, add a route and it should work.

(if there is no gateway, we have a little problem, because it will be hard to give unraid an additional address in the fd7e:: net... Normally "more than one V6 address" is no problem, but UNRAID is not really V6 ready yet and only allows a single address through the gui. there should be special tricks to add more, but I dont now how to do it properly. I would add an "ifconfig eth0 ... alias" line into the go file, but I'm sure, somebody else her in the forum knows a more legal way)

andyjayh · January 6, 2023

Ahh, "fdxX::" is an ULA (universal local address). It should be routeable within your lan if you have a properly configured gateway/router for it. You need to add a manual route to unraid for getting to the plug.
Looks like you are running into the strange V6 effect that a device annouces itself through a multicast address, but wants real communication back only on the ULA address.

Find the gateway, add a route and it should work.
(if there is no gateway, we have a little problem, because it will be hard to give unraid an additional address in the fd7e:: net... Normally "more than one V6 address" is no problem, but UNRAID is not really V6 ready yet and only allows a single address through the gui. there should be special tricks to add more, but I dont now how to do it properly. I would add an "ifconfig eth0 ... alias" line into the go file, but I'm sure, somebody else her in the forum knows a more legal way)

Thanks, that behaviour seems to be correct, multicast first.

Gateway address, assume that will be the address of my boarder router? Which is my ATV4.
When you say add a route, do I do that via the network section once I’ve stopped Docker? Assume not in the gateway section but as an additional route?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

MAM59 · January 7, 2023

7 hours ago, andyjayh said:

Gateway address, assume that will be the address of my boarder router? Which is my ATV4.
When you say add a route, do I do that via the network section once I’ve stopped Docker? Assume not in the gateway section but as an additional route?

As I said: UNRAID is not the brightest place for this.

The best way would be to add the address and router to your ATV4 (dunno what this is), so it can relay the packets to UNRAID.

Or have a different machine that can easily be configured for multiple addresses and V6 routing on your LAN (any normal Linux / BSD / even Windows / PI or something alike will do, just UNRAID is very castrated in this )

ATV4? just googled around and found "Apple TV 4" ?!?!?!? Naaaah, that would be not the solution, Apple devices usually are even more problems. I hope you have something real at home.

Edited January 7, 2023 by MAM59

andyjayh · January 8, 2023

ATV4, yep Apple TV so probably not the best place to add routing info, don't think you can tbh....

It is only Unraid that is not playing ball in my network, although I am heavily Apple products, they are all working with Thread and therefore ipv6.

My network is UniFi based, router is a Dream Machine, switches and AP's are all UniFi. Assume I should be able to do something on the router then?

Thanks for your assistance but this is well out of my comfort zone...

I have read for other Linux based Docker setups people needed to run the following commands for routing;

set net.ipv6.conf.br0.accept_ra=2,

set net.ipv6.conf.bond0.accept_ra=2

Didn't want to do that blindly on my Unraid as I have no idea if that is needed and what damage it may do if I get it wrong. However, I think they are incorrect for me as they are setting the route and bonding (?) to br0 whereas I think I'm currently using eth0.

I found in some other threads that running the following commands would show the routing;

ip -6 route

::1 dev lo proto kernel metric 256 pref medium

fd7e:37b8:e809:465c::/64 dev shim-eth0 proto kernel metric 256 expires 1763sec pref medium

fd7e:37b8:e809:465c::/64 dev eth0 proto ra metric 1003 pref medium

fe80::/64 dev eth0 proto kernel metric 256 pref medium

fe80::/64 dev shim-eth0 proto kernel metric 256 pref medium

fe80::/64 dev veth9465acf proto kernel metric 256 pref medium

fe80::/64 dev docker0 proto kernel metric 256 pref medium

fe80::/64 dev veth5d89a13 proto kernel metric 256 pref medium

fe80::/64 dev veth25d3a49 proto kernel metric 256 pref medium

fe80::/64 dev vetha3240f7 proto kernel metric 256 pref medium

fe80::/64 dev veth3936fc8 proto kernel metric 256 pref medium

fe80::/64 dev veth8339b73 proto kernel metric 256 pref medium

fe80::/64 dev veth95b1fdc proto kernel metric 256 pref medium

ip -6 a s

1: lo: <LOOPBACK,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 65536 state UNKNOWN qlen 1000

inet6 ::1/128 scope host