bootdev login is failing.

[jihed]

bootdev login
Failed to fetch update info: failed to fetch latest version

[sjblake83]

I'm running into the same thing. It was a desperate fight just to get bootdev installed on my work laptop though, so I suspect this might be something related to corporate firewalls.

[LuisAntonioCardoso]

I just ran into this issue and managed to fix it, so here’s what caused it (in my case) and how to resolve it.

Problem summary
A bootdev login step tries to reach a source over IPv6 to check for updates.
If your machine doesn’t have a working global IPv6 address or route, the connection fails with something like:
For some reason, the tool doesn’t fall back to IPv4 when IPv6 fails.

How to check if you lack IPv6

• run 'ping -6 example.com'
• If you see 'connect: Network is unreachable', then IPv6 isn’t available.

Check IPv6 routing:

• run 'ip -6 route show'
• If you don’t see a default or ::/0 route, your system has no IPv6 route to the internet.

How I fixed it:

• I changed my system’s address selection rules so IPv4 is preferred over IPv6 when both exist
• Uncomment the line '# precedence ::ffff:0:0/96 100' (just remove '#') in the file /etc/gai.conf (requires sudo/root).
• This tells Linux to prefer IPv4 unless IPv6 is definitely available.

Important note:
This is a global setting.
In most cases it’s harmless, but keep in mind that it changes how your system prioritizes IPv4 vs IPv6. If you run into networking issues later, you may want to revisit this change.

Summary

• The failure happens because IPv6 is attempted first.
• Your system doesn’t have IPv6 connectivity.
• Enabling IPv4 preference fixes it.
• On other OSes (Windows/Mac), look for the equivalent “prefer IPv4” or “disable IPv6” setting.

Hope this helps someone else running into the same issue!