diff --git a/config/fail2ban.conf b/config/fail2ban.conf
index f3867839..601402d8 100644
--- a/config/fail2ban.conf
+++ b/config/fail2ban.conf
@@ -55,6 +55,12 @@ socket = /var/run/fail2ban/fail2ban.sock
 #
 pidfile = /var/run/fail2ban/fail2ban.pid
 
+# Option: allowipv6
+# Notes.: Allows IPv6 interface:
+#         Default: auto
+# Values: [ auto yes (on, true, 1) no (off, false, 0) ] Default: auto
+#allowipv6 = auto
+
 # Options: dbfile
 # Notes.: Set the file for the fail2ban persistent data to be stored.
 #         A value of ":memory:" means database is only stored in memory 
diff --git a/fail2ban/client/fail2banreader.py b/fail2ban/client/fail2banreader.py
index 3270b767..1f135cf8 100644
--- a/fail2ban/client/fail2banreader.py
+++ b/fail2ban/client/fail2banreader.py
@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@ class Fail2banReader(ConfigReader):
 		opts = [["string", "loglevel", "INFO" ],
 				["string", "logtarget", "STDERR"],
 				["string", "syslogsocket", "auto"],
+				["string", "allowipv6", "auto"],
 				["string", "dbfile", "/var/lib/fail2ban/fail2ban.sqlite3"],
 				["int",    "dbmaxmatches", None],
 				["string", "dbpurgeage", "1d"]]
@@ -74,6 +75,7 @@ class Fail2banReader(ConfigReader):
 		# Also dbfile should be set before all other database options.
 		# So adding order indices into items, to be stripped after sorting, upon return
 		order = {"thread":0, "syslogsocket":11, "loglevel":12, "logtarget":13,
+			"allowipv6": 14,
 			"dbfile":50, "dbmaxmatches":51, "dbpurgeage":51}
 		stream = list()
 		for opt in self.__opts:
diff --git a/fail2ban/server/ipdns.py b/fail2ban/server/ipdns.py
index 571ccc4f..5f3e4571 100644
--- a/fail2ban/server/ipdns.py
+++ b/fail2ban/server/ipdns.py
@@ -169,27 +169,31 @@ class DNSUtils:
 		DNSUtils.CACHE_ipToName.set(key, name)
 		return name
 
+	# key find cached own hostnames (this tuple-key cannot be used elsewhere):
+	_getSelfNames_key = ('self','dns')
+
 	@staticmethod
 	def getSelfNames():
 		"""Get own host names of self"""
-		# try find cached own hostnames (this tuple-key cannot be used elsewhere):
-		key = ('self','dns')
-		names = DNSUtils.CACHE_ipToName.get(key)
+		# try find cached own hostnames:
+		names = DNSUtils.CACHE_ipToName.get(DNSUtils._getSelfNames_key)
 		# get it using different ways (a set with names of localhost, hostname, fully qualified):
 		if names is None:
 			names = set([
 				'localhost', DNSUtils.getHostname(False), DNSUtils.getHostname(True)
 			]) - set(['']) # getHostname can return ''
 		# cache and return :
-		DNSUtils.CACHE_ipToName.set(key, names)
+		DNSUtils.CACHE_ipToName.set(DNSUtils._getSelfNames_key, names)
 		return names
 
+	# key to find cached own IPs (this tuple-key cannot be used elsewhere):
+	_getSelfIPs_key = ('self','ips')
+
 	@staticmethod
 	def getSelfIPs():
 		"""Get own IP addresses of self"""
-		# try find cached own IPs (this tuple-key cannot be used elsewhere):
-		key = ('self','ips')
-		ips = DNSUtils.CACHE_nameToIp.get(key)
+		# to find cached own IPs:
+		ips = DNSUtils.CACHE_nameToIp.get(DNSUtils._getSelfIPs_key)
 		# get it using different ways (a set with IPs of localhost, hostname, fully qualified):
 		if ips is None:
 			ips = set()
@@ -199,13 +203,30 @@ class DNSUtils:
 				except Exception as e: # pragma: no cover
 					logSys.warning("Retrieving own IPs of %s failed: %s", hostname, e)
 		# cache and return :
-		DNSUtils.CACHE_nameToIp.set(key, ips)
+		DNSUtils.CACHE_nameToIp.set(DNSUtils._getSelfIPs_key, ips)
 		return ips
 
+	_IPv6IsAllowed = None
+
+	@staticmethod
+	def setIPv6IsAllowed(value):
+		DNSUtils._IPv6IsAllowed = value
+		logSys.debug("IPv6 is %s", ('on' if value else 'off') if value is not None else 'auto')
+		return value
+
+	# key to find cached value of IPv6 allowance (this tuple-key cannot be used elsewhere):
+	_IPv6IsAllowed_key = ('self','ipv6-allowed')
+
 	@staticmethod
 	def IPv6IsAllowed():
-		# return os.path.exists("/proc/net/if_inet6") || any((':' in ip) for ip in DNSUtils.getSelfIPs())
-		return any((':' in ip.ntoa) for ip in DNSUtils.getSelfIPs())
+		if DNSUtils._IPv6IsAllowed is not None:
+			return DNSUtils._IPv6IsAllowed
+		v = DNSUtils.CACHE_nameToIp.get(DNSUtils._IPv6IsAllowed_key)
+		if v is not None:
+			return v
+		v = any((':' in ip.ntoa) for ip in DNSUtils.getSelfIPs())
+		DNSUtils.CACHE_nameToIp.set(DNSUtils._IPv6IsAllowed_key, v)
+		return v
 
 
 ##
diff --git a/fail2ban/server/server.py b/fail2ban/server/server.py
index 475fd706..bd2c7ad3 100644
--- a/fail2ban/server/server.py
+++ b/fail2ban/server/server.py
@@ -770,6 +770,11 @@ class Server:
 				logSys.info("flush performed on %s" % self.__logTarget)
 			return "flushed"
 			
+	@staticmethod
+	def setIPv6IsAllowed(value):
+		value = _as_bool(value) if value != 'auto' else None
+		return DNSUtils.setIPv6IsAllowed(value)
+
 	def setThreadOptions(self, value):
 		for o, v in value.iteritems():
 			if o == 'stacksize':
diff --git a/fail2ban/server/transmitter.py b/fail2ban/server/transmitter.py
index 10cfd163..e40f2f51 100644
--- a/fail2ban/server/transmitter.py
+++ b/fail2ban/server/transmitter.py
@@ -173,6 +173,11 @@ class Transmitter:
 				return self.__server.getSyslogSocket()
 			else:
 				raise Exception("Failed to change syslog socket")
+		elif name == "allowipv6":
+			value = command[1]
+			self.__server.setIPv6IsAllowed(value)
+			if self.__quiet: return
+			return value
 		#Thread
 		elif name == "thread":
 			value = command[1]
diff --git a/fail2ban/tests/clientreadertestcase.py b/fail2ban/tests/clientreadertestcase.py
index 2cfaff77..54850bca 100644
--- a/fail2ban/tests/clientreadertestcase.py
+++ b/fail2ban/tests/clientreadertestcase.py
@@ -975,6 +975,7 @@ class JailsReaderTest(LogCaptureTestCase):
 		  ['set', 'syslogsocket', 'auto'],
 		  ['set', 'loglevel', "INFO"],
 		  ['set', 'logtarget', '/var/log/fail2ban.log'],
+		  ['set', 'allowipv6', 'auto'],
 		  ['set', 'dbfile', '/var/lib/fail2ban/fail2ban.sqlite3'],
 		  ['set', 'dbmaxmatches', 10],
 		  ['set', 'dbpurgeage', '1d'],
diff --git a/fail2ban/tests/servertestcase.py b/fail2ban/tests/servertestcase.py
index eaf1b346..b7b9d802 100644
--- a/fail2ban/tests/servertestcase.py
+++ b/fail2ban/tests/servertestcase.py
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ import platform
 from ..server.failregex import Regex, FailRegex, RegexException
 from ..server import actions as _actions
 from ..server.server import Server
-from ..server.ipdns import IPAddr
+from ..server.ipdns import DNSUtils, IPAddr
 from ..server.jail import Jail
 from ..server.jailthread import JailThread
 from ..server.ticket import BanTicket
@@ -175,6 +175,19 @@ class Transmitter(TransmitterBase):
 	def testVersion(self):
 		self.assertEqual(self.transm.proceed(["version"]), (0, version.version))
 
+	def testSetIPv6(self):
+		try:
+			self.assertEqual(self.transm.proceed(["set", "allowipv6", 'yes']), (0, 'yes'))
+			self.assertTrue(DNSUtils.IPv6IsAllowed())
+			self.assertLogged("IPv6 is on"); self.pruneLog()
+			self.assertEqual(self.transm.proceed(["set", "allowipv6", 'no']), (0, 'no'))
+			self.assertFalse(DNSUtils.IPv6IsAllowed())
+			self.assertLogged("IPv6 is off"); self.pruneLog()
+		finally:
+			# restore back to auto:
+			self.assertEqual(self.transm.proceed(["set", "allowipv6", "auto"]), (0, "auto"))
+			self.assertLogged("IPv6 is auto"); self.pruneLog()
+
 	def testSleep(self):
 		if not unittest.F2B.fast:
 			t0 = time.time()
diff --git a/man/jail.conf.5 b/man/jail.conf.5
index dc226ac2..788fad2b 100644
--- a/man/jail.conf.5
+++ b/man/jail.conf.5
@@ -151,6 +151,11 @@ PID filename.  Default: /var/run/fail2ban/fail2ban.pid
 .br
 This is used to store the process ID of the fail2ban server.
 .TP
+.B allowipv6
+option to allow IPv6 interface - auto, yes (on, true, 1) or no (off, false, 0).  Default: auto
+.br
+This value can be used to declare fail2ban whether IPv6 is allowed or not.
+.TP
 .B dbfile
 Database filename. Default: /var/lib/fail2ban/fail2ban.sqlite3
 .br