A Linux web server that previously ran only IPv4 has just been given a global IPv6 address and the DNS administrator has added a matching AAAA record.
$ ip -6 addr show ens33
2: ens33: <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 1500
inet6 2001:db8:100:20::50/64 scope global dynamic
$ ip -6 route show
2001:db8:100:20::/64 dev ens33 proto kernel metric 256 pref medium
Remote users now complain that the site pauses for several seconds before finally loading over IPv4. No packet filtering rules are dropping traffic. Which action on the server will best restore reliable dual-stack reachability without disabling IPv6?
Enable NAT66 on the interface to translate outbound IPv6 traffic to IPv4.
Add a default IPv6 route, e.g., ip -6 route add default via 2001:db8:100:20::1 dev ens33.
Delete the AAAA DNS record so clients connect with IPv4 only.
Lower IPv6 precedence in /etc/gai.conf so the server prefers IPv4 addresses.
The routing table shows only the connected /64 network and lacks a default IPv6 route. When external clients attempt to connect to the server's AAAA record, the server receives the SYN but has no route for destinations outside its local subnet, so it cannot send the TCP SYN-ACK. Adding a default gateway for IPv6 (for example, ip -6 route add default via 2001:db8:100:20::1 dev ens33) allows the kernel to forward reply traffic to all off-link hosts, restoring full IPv6 reachability while keeping dual-stack operation intact.
Removing the AAAA record merely hides the problem and eliminates IPv6 support; editing /etc/gai.conf changes outbound address selection only; enabling NAT66 would not fix the missing route and is unnecessary on a simple host.
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