vxlan proxmox setup (ip-transit)
Proxmox VXLAN Tunnel Setup
Requirements
Before starting, make sure you have:
- A working Proxmox installation
- Root access to your node
- The remote endpoint IP
- Basic networking knowledge
Misconfiguration may result in loss of network connectivity.
VXLAN allows you to create a Layer-2 overlay network over Layer-3 infrastructure, commonly used for connecting multiple hosts or data centers.
Tunnel Configuration
The configuration is done inside:
/etc/network/interfaces
Insert the VXLAN configuration template below and adjust the variables.
Variables appear inside < > and must be replaced with your actual values.
Variables
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
| <VXLAN_ID> | VXLAN Network Identifier (VNI), must match on both endpoints |
| <Local Endpoint> | Local server public IP |
| <Remote Endpoint> | Remote server public IP |
| <VXLAN Interface> | VXLAN device name (example: vxlan10) |
| <Bridge Name> | Proxmox bridge name (example: vmbr10) |
| <VXLAN Port> | UDP port used by VXLAN (default: 4789) |
| <Physical Interface> | Network interface used for transport (example: eno1) |
VXLAN Configuration Template
auto vxlan10
iface vxlan10 inet manual
mtu 1450
pre-up ip link add vxlan10 type vxlan \
id <VXLAN_ID> \
dev <Physical Interface> \
remote <Remote Endpoint> \
local <Local Endpoint> \
dstport <VXLAN Port>
post-down ip link del vxlan10
Bridge Configuration
Create a bridge so VMs and containers can use the VXLAN network.
auto vmbr10
iface vmbr10 inet manual
mtu 1450
bridge_ports vxlan10
bridge_stp off
bridge_fd 0
Example Configuration
Example setup:
- Local node:
192.0.2.10 - Remote node:
192.0.2.20 - VXLAN ID:
100 - Interface:
eno1
auto vxlan10
iface vxlan10 inet manual
mtu 1450
pre-up ip link add vxlan10 type vxlan id 100 dev eno1 \
remote 192.0.2.20 local 192.0.2.10 dstport 4789
post-down ip link del vxlan10
auto vmbr10
iface vmbr10 inet manual
mtu 1450
bridge_ports vxlan10
bridge_stp off
bridge_fd 0
Apply Configuration
Restart networking or bring interfaces up manually.
ifdown vmbr10 2>/dev/null
ifdown vxlan10 2>/dev/null
ifup vxlan10
ifup vmbr10
Using VXLAN in Proxmox VMs
- Open VM settings
- Select Network Device
- Choose Bridge:
vmbr10
Your VM will now be connected to the VXLAN overlay network.
Troubleshooting
Check VXLAN interface
ip link show vxlan10
Check bridge
bridge link
Verify connectivity
ping <remote-vxlan-ip>
Capture VXLAN packets
tcpdump -i <physical-interface> udp port 4789
Notes
- Default VXLAN port is 4789
- VXLAN adds ~50 bytes overhead, so MTU should typically be 1450
- Firewalls must allow UDP 4789