--- title: "Configuring an IPv6 address on a virtual machine" description: "Learn how to configure an IPv6 address on a virtual machine for Proxmox VE or Microsoft Hyper-V Server on an OVHcloud Dedicated Server." url: https://docs.us.ovhcloud.com/en/bare-metal-cloud/dedicated-servers/configure-an-ipv6-on-a-vm lang: en --- > For AI agents: the complete documentation index is available at https://docs.us.ovhcloud.com/en/llms.txt, the full documentation bundle is available at https://docs.us.ovhcloud.com/en/llms-full.txt. # Configuring an IPv6 address on a virtual machine **Learn how to configure an IPv6 address on a virtual machine for Proxmox VE or Microsoft Hyper-V Server on an OVHcloud Dedicated Server.** Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is the successor to Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4). Set up to resolve IPv4 address exhaustion, IPv6 uses 128-bit addresses instead of 32-bit addresses. High Grade, Scale, and Advance range servers (since July 2024) are delivered with a /56 IPv6 block. Older servers come with an IPv6/64 block. A server delivered with a /56 IPv6 block can have up to 18 quintillion IP addresses. Our infrastructure also allows you to configure IPv6 on your virtual machines. **Warning:** **NOTE:** OVHcloud provides services for which you are responsible for their configuration and management. You are therefore responsible for their proper functioning.\ \ This tutorial is designed to help you as much as possible with common tasks. If you are having difficulty performing these actions, please contact a specialized service provider. OVHcloud cannot provide you with technical support in this regard.   ## Requirements - A [dedicated server](https://us.ovhcloud.com/bare-metal/) with an IPv6 block (/64) or (/56) in your OVHcloud account. - An operating system with virtualization capabilities (Proxmox VE, Hyper-V Server, etc.). - You must have all the information related to your IPv6 (prefix, gateway, etc.). - Basic knowledge of SSH and networking.   ## Instructions The following sections contain the configurations of the distributions we currently offer and the most commonly used distributions/operating systems. The first step is always to connect to your server via SSH or via a GUI (RDP for a Windows server) connection session. On dedicated servers, the first IPv6 is declared as 2607:5300:xxxx:xxxx::/64. For example, if we have assigned your server the IPv6 range: `2607:5300:xxxx:xxxx::/64`, the first IPv6 on your server is: `2607:5300:xxxx:xxxx::/64`. Before you begin, and in order to use the same terminology during the changes, please read the table below. It references terms that we will use in this documentation: | Term | Description | Example | | ------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------- | | YOUR\_IPV6 | This is an IPv6 address of the IPv6 block assigned to your server | 2607:5300:xxxx:xxxx::1 | | IPv6\_PREFIX | This is the prefix (or _netmask_) of your IPv6 block, usually /64 or /56 | 2607:5300:xxxx:xxxx::/64 | | IPv6\_GATEWAY | This is the gateway (or _gateway_) of your IPv6 block | 2607:5300:xxxx:xx:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff or fe80::1 | In our examples, we will use the `nano` text editor. You can of course use the text editor of your choice.   ### Default Gateway The first step is to retrieve the IPv6 gateway assigned to your server. Two methods are possible: - Get network information via the OVHcloud Control Panel - Get network information via the APIs #### Via the OVHcloud Control Panel Log in to your [OVHcloud Control Panel](https://manager.us.ovhcloud.com), go to the `Bare Metal Cloud` section, and select your server under the `Dedicated servers` section. The IPv6 gateway assigned to your server is displayed in the **Network** section of the `General information` tab.   #### Via OVHcloud APIs Another way to retrieve your server's network information is by [using the OVHcloud API](https://api.us.ovhcloud.com/). Execute the following API call, specifying the internal name of the server (example: `ns3956771.ip-169-254-10.us`): [GET /dedicated/server/{serviceName}/specifications/network](https://api.us.ovhcloud.com/console/?section=/dedicated/server&branch=v1#get-/dedicated/server/-serviceName-/specifications/network) Please note that the preceeding "0s" can be deleted in an IPv6 gateway. Example: IPv6\_GATEWAY : `2607:5300:60:62ff:00ff:00ff:00ff:00ff` can also be written as `2607:5300:60:62ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff`.   ### Prepare the host #### Proxmox VE ##### **For a virtual machine** The first step is to create the virtual machine in Proxmox VE. Once you have logged in to the Proxmox dashboard, click on your server name in the left-hand corner, then `Create VM`. **Create: Virtual Machine** ###### General **Name:** Enter a name for your VM. ###### OS Click the dropdown arrow next to `ISO image` to select the image of your choice. In our example, we use ubuntu 24.04 ISO. ###### Confirm Once you have done this, click `Finish` to create the VM. Once the operating system has been installed on the virtual machine, you can [configure](#configure-the-ipv6-on-virtual-machines) the IPv6 address. ##### **For a container** Once you have created your container, click on it in the left-hand menu. Then click `Network`. Select the existing network and click `Edit`. Fill in the IPV6 fields with the correct information. Once you have done this, click `OK` to save the changes. Log in to your container to verify IPv6 connectivity with the `ping` command:   #### Windows Server / Hyper-V The first step is to install the Hyper-V role on your Windows Server. For more information, consult the [official documentation](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/virtualization/hyper-v/get-started/install-the-hyper-v-role-on-windows-server). Before configuring your virtual machine, you need to create a virtual switch. From the command line of your dedicated server, run the following command and note the name of the network adapter that contains the server's main IP address: ``` ipconfig /all ``` **Note:** This step is only required once for a Hyper-V server. For all VMs, a **virtual switch** is required to connect the VM’s **virtual network adapters** to the server’s **physical adapter**. In the Hyper-V Manager, create a new virtual switch and set the connection type to `External`. Select the adapter with the server’s IP, then tick the option `Allow management operating system to share this network adapter`. Next, go to the settings of the VM and click on `Network Adapter` in the left-hand tab. From the drop down list, select the virtual switch created earlier and click on `Apply`, then on `OK`. Once you have installed the operating system on the virtual machine, you can proceed with the configuration of the IPv6 IP address.   ### Configure the IPv6 on virtual machines #### Configuration based on Netplan The configuration below is based on Ubuntu 24.04. Once you are logged in to your virtual machine, the first step is to access the configuration file: ```bash sudo nano /etc/netplan/50-cloud-init.yaml ``` Next, configure the IPv6 address of your choice by replacing _YOUR\_IPV6_, _IPV6\_PREFIX_ and _IPV6\_GATEWAY_ with your own values. ```yaml network: ethernets: ens18: dhcp4: true dhcp6: false addresses: - YOUR_IPV6/IPV6_PREFIX routes: - to: default via: IPV6_GATEWAY on-link: true version: 2 ``` **Warning:** **NOTE:** It is important to respect the alignment of each element in `yaml` files as represented in the example above. Do not use the tab key to create your spacing. Only the space key is needed. Save your changes to the config file and exit the editor. Apply the configuration: ```bash sudo nano netplan apply ``` To test your IPv6 connectivity, run the `ping` command at `2001:4860:4860::8888`:   #### Configuration based on ENI The configuration below is based on Debian 11. Once you are logged in to your virtual machine, the first step is to access the configuration file: ```bash sudo nano /etc/network/interfaces ``` Next, configure the IPv6 address of your choice by replacing _YOUR\_IPV6_, _IPV6\_PREFIX_ and _IPV6\_GATEWAY_ with your own values. Replace `ens18` with your interface name. ``` auto-lo iface lo inet loopback auto ens18 iface ens18 inet6 static address YOUR_IPV6/IPV6_PREFIX IPV6_GATEWAY gateway ``` Save your changes to the config file and exit the editor. Next, reboot the network with the following command: ```bash sudo systemctl restart networking.service ``` To test your IPv6 connectivity, run the `ping` command at `2001:4860:4860::8888`:   #### Configuration based on NetworkManager The configuration below is based on Fedora 40. NetworkManager has previously stored network profiles in ifcfg format in this directory: `/etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/`. However, the ifcfg format is now deprecated. By default, NetworkManager no longer creates profiles in this format. The configuration file is now located in `/etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/`. Once you are logged in to your virtual machine, the first step is to access the configuration file: ```bash sudo /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections ``` Use the `ls` command to display the network configuration file. In our example, our file is named `ens18.nmconnection`. Next, configure the IPv6 address of your choice by replacing _YOUR\_IPV6_, _IPV6\_PREFIX_ and _IPV6\_GATEWAY_ with your own values. ```bash sudo nano /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/ens18.nmconnection ``` ``` [ipv6] method=manual # If the value is "auto", replace with "manual". may-fail=true address=YOUR_IPV6/IPv6_PREFIX gateway=IPV6_GATEWAY ``` Save your changes to the config file and exit the editor. Next, reboot the network with the following command: ```bash sudo systemctl restart NetworkManager ``` To test your IPv6 connectivity, run the `ping` command at `2001:4860:4860::8888`:   ## Go further Browse all the [Dedicated Servers guides](https://docs.us.ovhcloud.com/en/bare-metal-cloud/dedicated-servers/landing-page-dedicated-servers.md). Browse the rest of the [OVHcloud US documentation](https://docs.us.ovhcloud.com/en/index.md) for guides on our other products and services. Learn more about [Dedicated Servers](https://us.ovhcloud.com/bare-metal/) on the OVHcloud US website.