netdev - ip v6 routing behavior difference between linux 3.4 and linux 3.18

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Date:	Fri, 26 Feb 2016 17:57:55 -0800
From:	Ani Sinha <ani@...sta.com>
To:	"netdev@...r.kernel.org" <netdev@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: ip v6 routing behavior difference between linux 3.4 and linux 3.18

Hi guys,

I am a little puzzled with a behavior difference I see between linux
3.4 and linux 3.18. Here's my setup where the numbers in hex are ipv6
addresses of the interfaces in parenthesis :

fd7a:629f:52a4:fffd::1 (lo0)
      ∣
      ∣
 fd7a:629f:52a4:fffe::1 (vlan_dev1)
     ∣         linux box 2 (unit under test)
 -----------------------
      ∣       linux box1 (Test Driver)
      ∣
 fd7a:629f:52a4:fffe::2 (e0)

Linux box2 is running linux kernel 3.4. Linux box1 is running linux
kernel 3.18.

I am running a small test script on box1 where I try to ping the
loopback interface. Before I do that, I set up a static route for
loopback device lo on box1, something like this :

fd7a:629f:52a4:fffd::1 via fd7a:629f:52a4:fffe::1 dev e0  metric 1024

Then I bring down the real device under the vlan_dev1 interface on
box2. The ping to loopback fails. So far so good.

Now I bring the real device under vlan_dev1 back up. This time, the
ping6 to lo0 on box1 keeps failing with "destination unreachable: no
route". I don't understand why the ping would fail even with a static
route programmed. I have also noticed that when I ping6 vlan_dev1 from
box1 and then ping6 lo0 from box1, the ping6 to lo0 then succeeds.
Alternatively, if I ping6 e0 from box2, then ping6 from box1 to lo0,
it succeeds.

Now as another experiment data point, I run linux kernel 3.4 on box1.
The behavior is slightly different.  The moment I bring back up the
underlying device for vlan_dev1, the pings succeed right away without
any tinkering. I don't understand why this subtle difference in
behavior in the two kernels?

Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.

thanks
ani