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IPv6 Gateway:Enable IPv6 for a vSwitch

Last Updated:Mar 20, 2024

After you enable IPv6 for a virtual private cloud (VPC), you can specify IPv6 CIDR blocks for vSwitches in the VPC. This way, cloud resources in vSwitches deployed in the VPC can communicate with each other by using IPv6 addresses.

Regions that support IPv6 gateways

Area

Region

China

China (Qingdao), China (Beijing), China (Zhangjiakou), China (Hohhot), China (Ulanqab), China (Hangzhou), China (Shanghai), China (Fuzhou - Local Region), China (Shenzhen), China (Heyuan), China (Guangzhou), China (Chengdu), and China (Hong Kong)

Asia Pacific

Philippines (Manila), Singapore, Japan (Tokyo), South Korea (Seoul), Indonesia (Jakarta), Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), and Thailand (Bangkok)

Europe and Americas

US (Virginia), US (Silicon Valley), and Germany (Frankfurt)

Middle East

SAU (Riyadh - Partner Region)

Important

The SAU (Riyadh) region is operated by a partner.

Prerequisites

  • A VPC is created and IPv6 is enabled for the VPC. For more information, see Enable IPv6 for a VPC.

  • The CIDR block that you specify for the new vSwitch does not overlap with the CIDR blocks of existing vSwitches in the VPC.

Create a vSwitch that supports IPv4 and IPv6

  1. Log on to the VPC console.

  2. In the left-side navigation pane, click vSwitch.

  3. In the top navigation bar, select the region where you want to create the vSwitch.

  4. On the vSwitch page, click Create vSwitch.

  5. On the Create vSwitch page, set the following parameters and click OK.

    Parameter

    Description

    Resource Group

    Select the resource group to which the vSwitch belongs.

    Tag Key

    Select or enter a tag key. To facilitate management, you can add custom tags to identify vSwitches.

    Tag Value

    Select or enter a tag value.

    VPC

    Select the VPC to which the vSwitch belongs.

    IPv4 CIDR Block

    The IPv4 CIDR block of the VPC is displayed.

    IPv6 CIDR Block

    The IPv6 CIDR block of the VPC is displayed.

    Note

    If IPv6 is disabled for the VPC, click Enable IPv6. After IPv6 is enabled, the system automatically creates an IPv6 gateway of Free Edition.

    Name

    Enter a name for the vSwitch.

    Zone

    Select a zone for the vSwitch. In the same VPC, vSwitches in different zones can communicate with each other.

    IPv4 CIDR Block

    Enter an IPv4 CIDR block for the vSwitch. When you specify a CIDR block for the vSwitch, take note of the following limits:

    • The CIDR block of the vSwitch must be a subset of the CIDR block of the VPC.

      For example, if the CIDR block of the VPC is 192.168.0.0/16, you can specify a CIDR block from 192.168.0.0/17 to 192.168.0.0/29 for the vSwitch.

    • The subnet mask of the vSwitch CIDR block must be 16 to 29 bits in length, which provides 8 to 65,536 IP addresses.

    • The first IP address and the last three IP addresses of a vSwitch CIDR block are reserved.

      For example, if a vSwitch CIDR block is 192.168.1.0/24, the IP addresses 192.168.1.0, 192.168.1.253, 192.168.1.254, and 192.168.1.255 are reserved.

    • If a vSwitch is required to communicate with vSwitches in other VPCs or with data centers, make sure that the CIDR block of the vSwitch does not overlap with the destination CIDR blocks.

    • The CIDR block of a vSwitch cannot be the same as or larger than the destination CIDR block of a route in the route table of the VPC to which the vSwitch belongs.

    Important

    After you create a vSwitch, you cannot change its CIDR block.

    IPv6 CIDR Block

    Specify an IPv6 CIDR block for the vSwitch.

    By default, the subnet mask of the IPv6 CIDR block of a vSwitch is /64. To specify the last 8 bits of the IPv6 CIDR block, enter an integer from 0 to 255.

    For example, if the IPv6 CIDR block of the VPC is 2xx1:db8::/64, you can enter 255 to define the last 8 bits of the IPv6 CIDR block of the vSwitch. In this case, the IPv6 CIDR block of the vSwitch is 2xx1:db8:ff::/64. ff is the hexadecimal value of 255.

Enable IPv6 for an existing vSwitch

  1. Log on to the VPC console.

  2. In the left-side navigation pane, click vSwitch.

  3. In the top navigation bar, select the region where the vSwitch is deployed.

  4. On the vSwitch page, find the vSwitch that you want to manage and click Enable IPv6 in the IPv6 CIDR Block column.

  5. In the Enable IPv6 dialog box, select the type of the IPv6 CIDR block and click OK.

    By default, the subnet mask of the IPv6 CIDR block of a vSwitch is /64. To specify the last 8 bits of the IPv6 CIDR block, enter an integer from 0 to 255.

    For example, if the IPv6 CIDR block of the VPC is 2xx1:db8::/64, you can enter 255 to define the last 8 bits of the IPv6 CIDR block of the vSwitch. In this case, the IPv6 CIDR block of the vSwitch is 2xx1:db8::ff/64. ff is the hexadecimal value of 255.

References