# Enable IPv6

You can enable IPv6 on Dedicated Core servers and vCPU Servers when you create them or after you create them.

## Set up IPv6

You can set up IPv6 to improve the network connectivity for your virtualized environment. By setting up IPv6 for your Dedicated Core servers and vCPU Servers, you can ensure that they are accessible to IPv6-enabled networks and clients.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Prerequisites:**

* Before enabling IPv6, make sure you have the appropriate privileges. The contract administrators, owners, or users with the create VDC privilege can create new VDCs. The number of bits in the fixed address is the prefix length. For Data Center IPv6 CIDR, the prefix length is **/56**.
* Ensure the [<mark style="color:blue;">VDC has IPv6 enabled</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/sections-test/guides/network-services/vdc-networking/ip-address/ipv6) to configure IPv6 on Dedicated Core Servers or vCPU Servers.
  {% endhint %}

1\. In the **DCD**, go to **Menu** > **Virtual Data Centers**.

2\. Select the data center where the server is configured.

3\. Select the respective dedicated core server or the vCPU server in the Workspace to enable IPv6 for the selected server and to connect it to an IPv6-enabled Local Area Network (LAN).

4\. Select the **Network** tab on the Inspector pane for the specific server and enter the following:

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="Dedicated Core Servers" %}

* **Name**: It is recommended to enter a unique name for this Network Interface Controller (NIC).
* **MAC**: This field is automatically populated.
* **LAN**: Select an IPv6 enabled LAN.
* **Firewall**: Specify whether you want to enable or disable the firewall. For enabling the firewall, choose **Ingress** to create flow logs for incoming traffic, **Egress** for outgoing traffic, or **Bidirectional** to create flow logs for all traffic.
* **Flow Log**: Select **+** to add a new flow log. Enter name, direction, action, target S3 bucket, and select **+ Flow Log** to complete the configuration of the flow log. It becomes applied once you provision your changes.
* **IPv4 Configuration**: This field is automatically populated. If Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is enabled, the Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) address is dynamic, meaning it can change while the Dedicated Core server is operational or in the case of a restart. Add additional public IP addresses in **Add IP**. It is an optional field.
* **IPv6 Configuration**: You can populate a NIC IPv6 CIDR block with prefix length /80 or allow it to be automatically assigned from the VDCs allocated range, as seen in the screenshot below. Add additional public IP addresses in **Add IP**. It is an optional field.

![Setting up IPv6 for Dedicated Core servers](https://1737632334-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MifAzdGvKLDTtvJP8sm%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-a45bde5cc070db58063195516256fd7d3850cffc%2Fdedicated-core-networktab-ipv6.png?alt=media)
{% endtab %}

{% tab title="vCPU Servers" %}

* **Name**: It is recommended to enter a unique name for this Network Interface Controller (NIC).
* **MAC**: This field is automatically populated.
* **LAN**: Select an IPv6 enabled LAN.
* **Firewall**: Specify whether you want to enable or disable the firewall. For enabling the firewall, choose **Ingress** to create Flow Logs for incoming traffic, **Egress** for outgoing traffic, or **Bidirectional** to create Flow Logs for all traffic.
* **Flow Log**: Select **+** to add a new Flow Log. Enter name, direction, action, target S3 bucket, and select **+ Flow Log** to complete the configuration of the flow log. It becomes applied once you provision your changes.
* **IPv4 Configuration**: This field is automatically populated. If Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is enabled, the Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) address is dynamic, meaning it can change while the vCPU Server is operational or in the case of a restart. Add additional public IP addresses in **Add IP**. It is an optional field.
* **IPv6 Configuration**: You can populate a NIC IPv6 CIDR block with prefix length /80 or allow it to be automatically assigned from the VDCs allocated range, as seen in the screenshot below. Add additional public IP addresses in **Add IP**. It is an optional field.

![Setting up IPv6 for vCPU servers](https://1737632334-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MifAzdGvKLDTtvJP8sm%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-08decf72e066b6a3298b209115855019bf2724d8%2Fvcpu-server-networktab-ipv6.png?alt=media)
{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}

5\. Select **PROVISION CHANGES**.

{% hint style="success" %}
**Result:** IPv6 is enabled for the selected server.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="info" %}
**Note:**

* IPv6 CIDR assigned to **LANs(/64)** and **NICs(/80 and /128)** must be unique.
* You can create a maximum of **256 IPv6-enabled LANs** per VDC.
  {% endhint %}