12. Managing Virtual Routers¶

Virtual routers provide L3 services such as routing and Source Network Address Translation (SNAT) between virtual and physical networks, or different virtual networks:

• A virtual router between virtual and physical networks provides access to public networks, such as the Internet, for VMs connected to this virtual network.

• A virtual router between different virtual networks provides network communication for VMs connected to these virtual networks.

A virtual router has two types of ports:

• An external gateway that is connected to a physical network.

• An internal port that is connected to a virtual network.

With virtual routers, you can do the following:

• Create virtual routers

• Change external or internal router interfaces

• Create, edit, and delete static routes

• Change a router name

• Delete a router

Limitations:

• A router can only connect networks that have IP management enabled.

• You can delete a virtual router if no floating IP addresses are associated with any network it is connected to.

Prerequisites:

• Compute networks are created, as described in Managing Virtual Private Networks.

• The compute networks that are to be connected to a router have a gateway specified.

To create a virtual router:

1. Navigate to the Routers screen and click + Add router.

2. In the Add virtual router window:

   1. Specify the name of the virtual router.

   2. On the Network dropdown menu, select an available public network through which public networks will be accessed.

   3. Select the SNAT checkbox to allow VMs in the private network to communicate with the Internet.

   4. In the Add internal interfaces section, select the created private network (refer to Creating Virtual Private Network) as an internal interface for the router.

   5. Click Create.