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Creating an IPv6 Network in Horizon

This guide will walk you step-by-step through the process of creating a pure IPv6 or a dual-stack (IPv4/IPv6) network using the OpenStack Horizon Dashboard.

1. Create a Network

First, create a new network that will serve as a container for your subnets.

  • Navigate in the menu to "Network" -> "Networks".
  • Click the "+ Create Network" button.
  • Enter a name for your network (e.g., my-ipv6-network) and click "Next".

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2. Create an IPv6 Subnet

Next, add an IPv6 subnet to the network.

  • Subnet Name: Enter a name for the subnet (e.g., my-ipv6-subnet).
  • Network Address Source: Select "Allocate Network Address from a Pool".
  • IP Version: Select "IPv6".
  • Subnet Pool: Select the available tenant-subnet-pool-v6.
  • Prefix Length: Keep the default value 64.
  • Gateway IP: Leave this field empty for an automatic Gateway IP assignment.

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  • Click the "Subnet Details" tab.
  • IPv6 Address Configuration Mode: Select "DHCPv6 stateless".

Warning

Address assignment currently only works with the DHCPv6 stateless setting.

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  • Click "Create".

Dual-Stack

If you want to create a dual-stack network, you can add another subnet (this time with "IP Version" IPv4) to the same network via the network details after this step.

3. Create a Router and Attach Subnet

To enable your VMs to communicate with external networks, a router is required.

  • Navigate to "Network" -> "Routers".
  • Click "+ Create Router".
  • Enter a name (e.g., my-ipv6-router) and select public under "External Network".
  • Click "Create Router".

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  • Click the name of the newly created router to access its detail view.
  • Switch to the "Interfaces" tab.
  • Click "+ Add Interface".
  • Select the previously created IPv6 subnet from the dropdown menu.
  • Click "Submit".

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4. Adjust Security Group

To access your VM (e.g., via SSH or ICMP/Ping), you must adjust the security group rules.

  • Navigate to "Network" -> "Security Groups".
  • Create a new security group or edit an existing one.
  • Add the necessary Ingress (incoming) rules:
    • For ICMP (Ping): Select rule type ALL ICMP or ICMPv6 and ::/0 as "Remote".
    • For SSH: Select rule type SSH and ::/0 as "Remote".

5. Launch Virtual Machine (VM)

Now you can launch a VM in your new network.

  • Navigate to "Compute" -> "Instances" and click "Launch Instance".
  • Configure your VM as usual (Name, Flavor, Image, Key Pair).
  • Switch to the "Networking" tab.
  • Drag your newly created IPv6 network from "Available Networks" to the "Allocated Networks" list.
  • In the "Security Groups" tab, assign the previously configured security group.
  • Click "Launch Instance".

Upon launch, your VM should have received an IPv6 address from your subnet and be accessible via the internet.