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Create a Router

This guide will walk you through the process of creating a router in OpenStack and setting up interfaces that point to private network subnets (both IPv4 and IPv6). Note that at least one subnet (IPv4 or IPv6) should be created before creating a router.

  • Navigate to Project > Network > Routers and click Create Router.
  • In the popup window that appears enter Router Name and from the External Network dropdown select public and click Create Router.
  • Your new router is now listed in Project > Network > Routers.

Create a router:

openstack router create my-router

openstack router set my-router --external-gateway public

Add an Interface to a Router

  • In Project > Network > Routers click the name of the router to view its details.
  • On the routers details page click the Interfaces tab, then click Add Interface.
  • In the popup window that appears select the Subnet from the dropdown list.
  • (Optional) You can specify an IP Address from the subnet to use as the router interface, but it is generally better to let OpenStack handle this by leaving it blank - if you choose not to set the IP Address value, then by default OpenStack Networking uses the first host IP address in the subnet.
  • Click Submit.

List all subnets to find the IDs of your private network's IPv4 and IPv6 subnets:

openstack subnet list

Add an interface to the router:

openstack router add subnet my-router <subnet-id>

Verification

  • Navigate to Project > Network > Routers, click the router name and under the Interfaces tab ensure that the private networks are listed.
  • You can also view the new network topology by navigating to Project > Network > Network Topology.

List router interfaces:

openstack router show my-router

Ensure that the interfaces to the private network's subnets (both IPv4 and IPv6 if applicable) are present in the interfaces_info section.

Troubleshooting

  • If the router does not show up or interfaces are missing, check your network and subnet configurations.

  • Ensure that the network you are adding as an interface is active and properly configured.

  • Verify that you have the necessary permissions to create and manage network resources in OpenStack.

By following these steps, you should be able to successfully create a router in OpenStack and add interfaces pointing to private network subnets (both IPv4 and IPv6, if desired).