Loopback Interfaces

You can define a virtual loopback interface by assigning an IPv4 or IPv6 address to the lo (local) interface.

This can be useful for testing purposes or as a proxy interface for an unnumbered interface.

This section shows you how to configure a loopback interface in the Gaia Portal and Gaia Clish.

Configuring Loopback Interfaces in Gaia Portal

Important - On Scalable Platforms (ElasticXL, Maestro, and Chassis), you must connect to the Gaia Portal of the applicable Security Group.

Step

Instructions

1

In the navigation tree, click Interface Management > Network Interfaces.

2

Click Add > Loopback.

3

In the Add loopback window:

  1. The Enable option is selected by default to set the loopback interface status to UP.

  2. In the Comment field, enter the applicable comment text (up to 100 characters).

  3. On the IPv4 tab, enter the IPv4 address and subnet mask.

    These IPv4 addresses are not allowed (they are reserved):

    • 0.x.x.x

    • 127.x.x.x

    • 224.x.x.x - 239.x.x.x (Class D)

    • 240.x.x.x - 255.x.x.x (Class E)

    • 255.255.255.255

  4. Optional: On the IPv6 tab, do one of these:

    • Select Obtain IPv6 address automatically via Autoconfig.

    • Select Obtain IPv6 address automatically via Normal DHCPv6.

    • Select Obtain IPv6 address automatically via Prefix Delegation.

    • Select Use the following IPv6 address.

    Important:

    • First, you must enable the IPv6 Support and reboot (see System Configuration).

    • R82 does not support IPv6 Address on the Gaia Management Interface (Known Limitation PMTR-47313).

    • On a Multi-Domain Security Management Server, follow these instructions to configure an IPv6 address - Configuring an IPv6 Address on a Multi-Domain Server.

    • Scalable Platforms (ElasticXL, Maestro, and Chassis) do not support this feature (Known Limitation MBS-3246).

4

Click OK.

Note - When you add a new loopback interface, Gaia automatically assigns a name in the format "loop<XX>", where XX is a sequence number that starts from 00. The name of the first loopback interface is loop00. The name of the second loopback interface is loop01. And so on.

Step

Instructions

1

In the navigation tree, click Interface Management > Network Interfaces.

2

Select a loopback interface and click Edit.

3

In the Edit loop<NN> window:

  1. If required, change the IPv4 address and subnet mask.

  2. If required, change the IPv6 address and mask length.

4

Click OK.

Step

Instructions

1

In the navigation tree, click Network Management > Network Interfaces.

2

Select a loopback interface and click Delete.

3

Click OK, when the confirmation message shows.

Configuring Loopback Interfaces in Gaia Clish

Important - On Scalable Platforms (ElasticXL, Maestro, and Chassis), you must run the applicable commands in Gaia gClish of the applicable Security Group.

Syntax

add interface lo loopback <IPv4 Address>/<Mask Length>

Note - When you add a new loopback interface, Gaia automatically assigns a name in the format "loop<XX>", where XX is a sequence number that starts from 00. The name of the first loopback interface is loop00. The name of the second loopback interface is loop01. And so on.

set interface <Name of Loopback Interface> {ipv4-address <options> | ipv6-address <options>}

Note - You can only change IPv4 or IPv6 address on a loopback interface.

show interface<SPACE><TAB>

show interface <Name of Loopback Interface>

delete interface lo loopback <Name of Loopback Interface>

Important - After you add, configure, or delete features, run the "save config" command to save the settings permanently. Scalable Platforms save the changes automatically.

Parameters

Parameter

Description

lo

You must use the lo (local interface) keyword to define a loopback interface.

<IPv4 Address>

Specifies the IPv4 address.

These IPv4 addresses are not allowed (they are reserved):

  • 0.x.x.x

  • 127.x.x.x

  • 224.x.x.x - 239.x.x.x (Class D)

  • 240.x.x.x - 255.x.x.x (Class E)

  • 255.255.255.255

<Mask Length>

Configures the IPv4 subnet mask length using the CIDR notation (integer between 2 and 32).

<Name of Loopback Interface>

Specifies a loopback interface name.

Example

gaia> add interface lo loopback 128.0.0.1/24

gaia> save config

gaia> delete interface lo loopback loop01

gaia> save config