Learn how to configure Public Cloud instances within your vRack.
The vRack is a private network solution that enables our customers to route traffic between OVHcloud dedicated servers as well as other OVHcloud services. At the same time, it allows you to add Public Cloud instances to your private network to create an infrastructure of physical and virtual resources.
Requirements
- a Public Cloud project in your OVHcloud account
- access to the OVHcloud Control Panel
- an OpenStack user (optional)
- basic networking knowledge
Interfaces
Creating a vRack or adding an instance into the network can be done using the OVHcloud Control Panel, the OVHcloud APIv6, the OpenStack API, the Horizon interface, or Terraform.
Depending on your technical profile and needs, it is mostly up to you which interface or method to use. For each option, the guide instructions below describe the necessary steps.
To begin with, the following provides a brief description of the possible actions according to the chosen method/interface.
OVHcloud Control Panel
The OVHcloud Control Panel is a fully visual interface, ideally suited for managing only one VLAN. You will not be able to customize the private IP range, which will be in 10.x.x.x/16.
The VLAN will be deployed by default to all zones. You will only have the option of activating the gateways or not.
You can also manage billing for your services in the OVHcloud Control Panel.
Horizon
The Horizon interface (independent from OVHcloud) is the original implementation of the OpenStack dashboard, which provides a web user interface to OpenStack services, including Nova, Swift, Keystone, etc.
This multifunctional, technical interface allows you to manage almost all OpenStack actions. It is one of the necessary interfaces if you need to manage more than two VLANS, add private network interfaces to your instances, manage custom images, etc.
Please refer to this guide to familiarize yourself with Horizon.
OVHcloud APIv6
Every action you take in your OVHcloud Control Panel can be called with the OVHcloud APIv6. It even offers more possibilities than the graphical interface.
The API interface is less visual than the OVHcloud Control Panel but will allow you to perform a large number of actions. You can manage and customize your VLAN, add interfaces to your instances, or create highly customized servers.
You can simply access it from our web page but also use it to create your PHP or Python scripts. This way, you can freely automate basic tasks with scripts, optimize your functions, and much more.
You may need to retrieve various information before using some API calls because a specific input is required.
Please refer to this guide to get started with the OVHcloud APIv6.
OpenStack API
Public Cloud services can be administrated using Linux or Windows command lines after downloading and installing OpenStack tools.
This method requires a good knowledge of Linux or Windows to take advantage of it, but it allows you to leverage all the power of OpenStack.
Depending on the layer you want to manage, you will need to use the Nova (compute), Neutron (network), Glance (image), or Swift (object storage) client. The latest addition to this assortment, the OpenStack client, makes it possible to manage almost all OpenStack layers directly.
With the OpenStack API, you can also easily automate this management through your scripts.
To know more about the usage of the OpenStack API, please consult these guides:
- How to Prepare an Environment for Using the OpenStack API
- How to Set OpenStack Environment Variables
You will then be able to use the APIs dedicated to OpenStack as needed:
- Nova (compute)
- Glance (image)
- Cinder (image)
- Neutron (network)
Moreover, some features may be missing from the OpenStack API depending on the version of your client and operating system. To make this guide more accessible, it presents the simplest and most intuitive options. You may consult the official OpenStack documentation if you wish to go further in learning about its use.
Terraform
Terraform can be used to manage OVHcloud infrastructures.
For that, you need to cherry-pick the correct terraform provider and resource. Find more information in our Using Terraform with OVHcloud guide.
Instructions
Step 1: Activating and managing a vRack
Using the vRack itself is free of charge and it can be delivered within a few minutes. However, to create a vRack service, it is necessary to generate and validate an order form first.
Once the service is active, you will find it in your Control Panel in the Bare Metal Cloud section, labeled "pn-xxxxxx".
In the OVHcloud Control Panel
Log in to the OVHcloud Control Panel and open your Public Cloud project. Click on Private Network in the left-hand navigation bar and then the To get started, create a vRack button.
You will then have to choose to create a new vRack or to use an existing vRack. In our example, we will create a New vRack. Once you have made your choice, click Create.
With the OVHcloud APIv6
To activate and manage a vRack using the OVHcloud APIv6, please refer to this section of the corresponding guide.
Step 2: Creating a private network in the vRack
It is necessary to create a private network so that the connected instances can communicate with each other.
With the Public Cloud service, you can create up to 4,000 VLANs within one vRack. This means that you can use each private IP address up to 4,000 times. Thus, for example, 192.168.0.10 of VLAN 2 is different from IP 192.168.0.10 of VLAN 42. This can be useful to segment your vRack between multiple virtual networks.
In the OVHcloud Control Panel, you will be able to assign the VLAN of your choice, but you will not be able to customize the IP range. vRack will be active in all zones.
Using the OVHcloud APIv6, you can customize all settings: IP range (10.0.0.0/16 for example), deployment zone, DHCP, Gateway, etc.
Unlike dedicated servers, there is no need to tag a VLAN directly on a Public Cloud instance.
To learn more about this topic, please refer to our Creating Multiple vLANs in a vRack guide.
Because OpenStack is not located at the same level, you will not be able to customize VLANs through the Horizon interface or OpenStack APIs.
Creating a private network in the OVHcloud Control Panel
Once a vRack exists, click on Private Network in the left-hand menu under Network.
Click on the Add Private Network button.
The following page allows you to customize multiple settings.
In step 1, select the region in which you want the private network to be located and click Next.
In step 2, several options are presented to you:
In the Private Network Name field, set a name for your private network.
Create a Gateway and connect to the private network
Select this option if you intend to create instances with a private network only. For more information, please consult the following guides: Creating a Private Network with a Gateway and Creating and Connecting a Public Cloud Instance.
Layer 2 network options
If you tick the Set a VLAN ID box, you will need to choose a VLAN IF number between 2 and 4,000.
If you do not tick the box, the system will assign a random VLAN ID number.
If you wish to set the VLAN ID number to 0, you will need to go through the OVHcloud APIv6.
Please note that if you have an existing private network with VLAN ID 0, this option will be ticked by default and grayed out.
In case you need to be able to communicate with dedicated servers in this VLAN, please consult our Creating Multiple vLANs in a vRack guide.
DHCP address distribution options
The default DHCP range is 10.0.0.0/16. To change this IP range, you will need to configure it through the OVHcloud APIv6.
Once done, click on Create to start the process.
Creating a private network with the OVHcloud APIv6
To create a private network using the OVHcloud APIv6, please refer to this section in the corresponding guide.
Creating a private network with the OpenStack CLI
To create the same private network, we need to create two OpenStack objects: network and subnet.
In the following example, we specify the VLAN_ID to which we want the network to be part through --provider-network-type and --provider-segment.
You can remove those parameters. In that case, an available VLAN_ID will be used.
openstack network create --provider-network-type vrack --provider-segment 42 OS_CLI_private_network openstack subnet create --dhcp --network OS_CLI_private_network OS_CLI_subnet --subnet-range 10.0.0.0/16
Creating a private network with Terraform
In Terraform, you will need to use the OpenStack provider. You can download an example of a complete terraform script in this repository.
The OVHcloud-specific part for vRack integration is the value_specs parameter.
resource "openstack_networking_network_v2" "tf_network" {
name = "tf_network"
admin_state_up = "true"
value_specs = {
"provider:network_type" = "vrack"
"provider:segmentation_id" = var.vlan_id
}
}
resource "openstack_networking_subnet_v2" "tf_subnet"{
name = "tf_subnet"
network_id = openstack_networking_network_v2.tf_network.id
cidr = "10.0.0.0/16"
enable_dhcp = true
}
Step 3: Integrating an instance into vRack
There are two possible scenarios:
- The instance to be integrated does not exist yet.
- An existing instance needs to be added to the vRack.
In case of a new instance
In the OVHcloud Control Panel
If you need assistance, follow this guide first: Creating and Connecting a Public Cloud Instance. When creating an instance, you can specify, in Step 5, a private network to integrate your instance into. Choose your previously created vRack from the drop-down menu.
With the OVHcloud APIv6
Please refer to this section of the corresponding guide.
With the OpenStack API
To use OpenStack APIs, if you have not already done so, consider preparing your work environment as described in the first part of this guide.
The following steps are necessary to create an instance directly in the vRack.
Retrieving the required information
Public and private networks:
openstack network list +--------------------------------------+------------+-------------------------------------+ | ID | Name | Subnets | +--------------------------------------+------------+-------------------------------------+ | 12345678-90ab-cdef-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx | MyVLAN-42 | xxxxxxxx-yyyy-xxxx-yyyy-xxxxxxxxxxxx| | 34567890-12ab-cdef-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx | Ext-Net | zzzzzzzz-yyyy-xxxx-yyyy-xxxxxxxxxxxx| | 67890123-4abc-ef12-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx | MyVLAN_0 | yyyyyyyy-xxxx-xxxx-yyyy-xxxxxxxxxxxx| +--------------------------------------+------------+-------------------------------------+
or
nova net-list +--------------------------------------+------------+------+ | ID | Label | CIDR | +--------------------------------------+------------+------+ | 12345678-90ab-cdef-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx | MyVLAN-42 | None | | 34567890-12ab-cdef-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx | Ext-Net | None | | 67890123-4abc-ef12-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx | MyVLAN_0 | None | +--------------------------------------+------------+------+
- Ext-Net for a public IP address
- The VLAN(s) required for your configuration
Also, note the information in this guide:
- ID or name of the OpenStack SSH key
- ID of the instance type (flavor)
- ID of the desired image (operating system, snapshot, etc.)
Deploying the instance
With the previously retrieved items, an instance can be created, including it directly in the vRack:
nova boot --key-name SSHKEY --flavor [ID-flavor] --image [ID-Image] --nic net-id=[ID-Network 1] --nic net-id=[ID-Network 2] [instance name]
Example:
nova boot --key-name my-ssh-key --flavor xxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx --image yyyy-yyyy-yyyy-yyyy-yyyyyyyyyyyy --nic net-id=[id_Ext-Net] --nic net-id=[id_VLAN] NameOfInstance
+--------------------------------------+------------------------------------------------------+
| Property | Value |
+--------------------------------------+------------------------------------------------------+
| OS-DCF:diskConfig | MANUAL |
| OS-EXT-AZ:availability_zone | |
| OS-EXT-STS:power_state | 0 |
| OS-EXT-STS:task_state | scheduling |
| OS-EXT-STS:vm_state | building |
| OS-SRV-USG:launched_at | - |
| OS-SRV-USG:terminated_at | - |
| accessIPv4 | |
| accessIPv6 | |
| adminPass | xxxxxxxxxxxx |
| config_drive | |
| created | YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ |
| flavor | [Flavor type] (xxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx) |
| hostId | |
| id | xxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx |
| image | [Image type] (xxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx) |
| key_name | [Name of key] |
| metadata | {} |
| name | [Name of instance] |
| os-extended-volumes:volumes_attached | [] |
| progress | 0 |
| security_groups | default |
| status | BUILD |
| tenant_id | zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz |
| updated | YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ |
| user_id | zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz |
+--------------------------------------+------------------------------------------------------+
or
openstack server create --key-name SSHKEY --flavor [ID-flavor] --image [ID-Image] --nic net-id=[ID-Network 1] --nic net-id=[ID-Network 2] [instance name]
Ex :
openstack server create --key-name my-ssh-key --flavor xxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx --image yyyy-yyyy-yyyy-yyyy-yyyyyyyyyyyy --nic net-id=[id_Ext-Net] --nic net-id=[id_VLAN] NameOfInstance
+--------------------------------------+------------------------------------------------------+
| Property | Value |
+--------------------------------------+------------------------------------------------------+
| OS-DCF:diskConfig | MANUAL |
| OS-EXT-AZ:availability_zone | |
| OS-EXT-STS:power_state | 0 |
| OS-EXT-STS:task_state | scheduling |
| OS-EXT-STS:vm_state | building |
| OS-SRV-USG:launched_at | - |
| OS-SRV-USG:terminated_at | - |
| accessIPv4 | |
| accessIPv6 | |
| adminPass | xxxxxxxxxxxx |
| config_drive | |
| created | YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ |
| flavor | [Flavor type] (xxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx) |
| hostId | |
| id | xxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx |
| image | [Image type] (xxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx) |
| key_name | [Name of key] |
| metadata | {} |
| name | [Name of instance] |
| os-extended-volumes:volumes_attached | [] |
| progress | 0 |
| security_groups | default |
| status | BUILD |
| tenant_id | zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz |
| updated | YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ |
| user_id | zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz |
+--------------------------------------+------------------------------------------------------+
You can set the IP address of the instance of your vRack interface at the OpenStack level.
To do this, you can add a single argument to the function "--nic":
--nic net-id=[ID-Network],v4-fixed-ip=[IP_static_vRack]
Example:
--nic net-id=[ID-vRack],v4-fixed-ip=192.168.0.42
Verifying the instance
After a few moments, you can check the list of existing instances to find the server you created:
openstack server list +--------------------------------------+---------------------+--------+--------------------------------------------------+--------------------+ | ID | Name | Status | Networks | Image Name | +--------------------------------------+---------------------+--------+--------------------------------------------------+--------------------+ | xxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxxxx | [Name of instance] | ACTIVE | Ext-Net=[IP_V4], [IP_V6]; MyVrack=[IP_V4_vRack] | [Name-of-instance]| +--------------------------------------+---------------------+--------+--------------------------------------------------+--------------------+
nova list +--------------------------------------+--------------------+--------+------------+-------------+--------------------------------------------------+ | ID | Name | Status | Task State | Power State | Networks | +--------------------------------------+--------------------+--------+------------+-------------+--------------------------------------------------+ | xxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx | [Name of instance]| ACTIVE | - | Running | Ext-Net=[IP_V4], [IP_V6]; MyVrack=[IP_V4_vRack] | +--------------------------------------+--------------------+--------+------------+-------------+--------------------------------------------------+
In case of an existing instance
The OVHcloud Control Panel allows you to attach an instance to one or more private networks but does not offer advanced network interface configuration. If you want to customize further, you will need to manage them either through the OVHcloud APIv6, through the OpenStack APIs, or via Horizon.
The required action is simply to add a new network interface to your server, in addition to the existing one.
For example, if you have a public interface eth0, you will add the interface eth1.
In the OVHcloud Control Panel
Log in to the OVHcloud Control Panel, go to the Public Cloud section, and select the Public Cloud project concerned.
Click on Instances in the left-hand navigation bar and then on ... to the right of the instance. Select Instance details.
This will open the instance dashboard. Click on the ... button in the box "Networks", next to "Private networks", and select Attach a network.
In the popup window that appears, select the private network(s) to attach to your instance and click Attach.
Managing network interfaces with the OVHcloud APIv6
Please refer to this section of the corresponding guide.
Managing network interfaces with OpenStack Horizon
Log in to the Horizon interface as mentioned above.
Choose the proper work zone.
Adding a private interface
Select Compute and then Instances from the menu.
To add an interface, click on the arrow in the "Actions" column to access the possible actions on the instance. Select Attach Interface.
Select your interface and confirm.
In the instance summary, you can see the private IP address that is automatically assigned to your interface.
It is your responsibility to correctly configure the interface through DHCP or by using the proper IP addresses through a static IP configuration.
Removing a private interface
If you remove the "Ext-Net" interface (public IP), this address will be released and put back into circulation. It is not possible to just reassign it.
This action is only necessary if you want to isolate your server in the vRack (Ext-Net interface) or remove it from a VLAN.
To delete an interface, click on the arrow in the "Actions" column to access the possible actions on the instance. Select Detach Interface.
Select your interface and confirm.
Managing network interfaces with the OpenStack API
To use OpenStack APIs, if you have not already done so, consider preparing your work environment as described in the first part of this guide.
The following steps are necessary to integrate an existing instance into the vRack.
Retrieving the required information
Identify your instances:
openstack server list +--------------------------------------+--------------+--------+------------------------------------------------------------------------+------------+ | ID | Name | Status | Networks | Image Name | +--------------------------------------+--------------+--------+------------------------------------------------------------------------+------------+ | 12345678-90ab-cdef-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx | My-Instance | ACTIVE | Ext-Net=xx.xx.xx.xx, 2001:41d0:yyyy:yyyy::yyyy; MyVrack=192.168.0.124 | Debian 9 | +--------------------------------------+--------------+--------+------------------------------------------------------------------------+------------+
or
nova list +--------------------------------------+--------------+--------+------------+-------------+----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | ID | Name | Status | Task State | Power State | Networks | +--------------------------------------+--------------+--------+------------+-------------+----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | 12345678-90ab-cdef-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx | My-Instance | ACTIVE | - | Running | Ext-Net=xx.xx.xx.xx,2001:41d0:yyyy:yyyy::yyyy;MyVrack=192.168.0.124 | +--------------------------------------+--------------+--------+------------+-------------+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
Public and private networks:
openstack network list +--------------------------------------+------------+-------------------------------------+ | ID | Name | Subnets | +--------------------------------------+------------+-------------------------------------+ | 12345678-90ab-cdef-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx | MyVLAN-42 | xxxxxxxx-yyyy-xxxx-yyyy-xxxxxxxxxxxx| | 34567890-12ab-cdef-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx | Ext-Net | zzzzzzzz-yyyy-xxxx-yyyy-xxxxxxxxxxxx| | 67890123-4abc-ef12-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx | MyVLAN-0 | yyyyyyyy-xxxx-xxxx-yyyy-xxxxxxxxxxxx| +--------------------------------------+------------+-------------------------------------+
or
nova net-list +--------------------------------------+------------+------+ | ID | Label | CIDR | +--------------------------------------+------------+------+ | 12345678-90ab-cdef-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx | MyVLAN-42 | None | | 34567890-12ab-cdef-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx | Ext-Net | None | | 67890123-4abc-ef12-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx | MyVLAN-0 | None | +--------------------------------------+------------+------+
- Ext-Net for a public IP address
- The VLAN(s) required for your configuration
Adding a private interface
To attach a new interface, execute the following command:
nova interface-attach --net-id <ID-VLAN> <ID-instance>
Example:
nova interface-attach --net-id 12345678-90ab-cdef-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx 12345678-90ab-cdef-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx
You can verify that the action has been performed:
nova show <ID-instance> +--------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------+ | Property | Value | +--------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------+ | Ext-Net network | xx.xx.xx.xx, 2001:41d0:xxx:xxxx::xxxx | => your public IP | MyVLAN-42 network | 192.168.0.x | => your private IP [...]
or
openstack server show <ID-instance> +--------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Field | Value | +--------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [...] | addresses | Ext-Net=xx.xx.xx.xx, 2001:41d0:xxx:xxxx::xxxx ; MyVLAN-42=192.168.0.x | => your public IP ; your private IP [...]
Removing a private interface
If you remove the "Ext-Net" interface (public IP), this address will be released and put back into circulation. It is not possible to just reassign it.
This action is only necessary if you want to isolate your server in the vRack (Ext-Net interface) or remove it from a VLAN.
To detach an interface, you will first need to identify the Neutron port that has been created.
You can do this by using the following commands:
neutron port-list
+--------------------------------------+------+-------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| id | name | mac_address | fixed_ips |
+--------------------------------------+------+-------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 12345678-abcd-ef01-2345-678910abcdef | | fa:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx | {"subnet_id": "01234567-8901-abscdef12345678910abcd", "ip_address": "192.168.0.x"} |
| 09876543-210a-bcde-f098-76543210abcd | | fa:yy:yy:yy:yy:yy | {"subnet_id": "65432109-abcd-ef09-8765-43210abcdef1", "ip_address": "2001:41d0:xxx:xxxx::xxxx"} |
| | | | {"subnet_id": "abcdef12-3456-7890-abcd-ef1234567890", "ip_address": "YY.YY.YY.YY"} |
+--------------------------------------+------+-------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
or
openstack port list +--------------------------------------+------+-------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | ID | Name | MAC Address | Fixed IP Addresses | +--------------------------------------+------+-------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | 12345678-abcd-ef01-2345-678910abcdef | | fa:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx | ip_address='192.168.0.xx', subnet_id='301234567-8901-abscdef12345678910abcd' | | 09876543-210a-bcde-f098-76543210abcd | | fa:yy:yy:yy:yy:yy | ip_address='2001:41d0:xxx:xxxx::xxxx', subnet_id='65432109-abcd-ef09-8765-43210abcdef1' | | | | | ip_address='YY.YY.YY.YY', subnet_id='abcdef12-3456-7890-abcd-ef1234567890' | +--------------------------------------+------+-------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Once you have identified the port to remove, you can execute the following command:
nova interface-detach <ID_instance> <port_id>
Example:
nova interface-detach 12345678-90ab-cdef-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx 12345678-abcd-ef01-2345-678910abcdef
Go further
For more information and tutorials, please see our other Public Cloud Networking support guides or explore the guides for other OVHcloud products and services.