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Add a Native or Trunk network adapter

Connect a VM to your networks. Choose Native or Trunk, map VLANs and complete the connection inside the operating system.

6 min readUpdated
In this guide

Native or Trunk?

Both modes connect a virtual server to networks available within your service. They differ in the number of adapters and whether you need to configure VLAN tags inside the VM. Before adding an adapter, identify the target networks and decide which connection each adapter should handle.

Native

Untagged connection

A separate adapter for each selected network.

  • Use the connection inside the VM without VLAN tagging.
  • You can select several networks; each gets its own adapter.
Trunk

Multiple networks, one adapter

Several networks on one adapter, distinguished by VLAN tags.

  • Choose a target virtual network for each tag.
  • Configure matching VLAN interfaces in the guest operating system.

Open the VM network cards

Each new adapter is assigned its own MAC address automatically. You do not need to enter one when creating the adapter. After saving, you can find it in the overview and copy it to identify the matching adapter in the guest operating system.

  1. 1

    Choose the correct server

    In the administration interface, open your Cloud service, select the virtual server and go to Network cards. Check the VM name to make sure you are editing the intended server.

  2. 2

    Add an adapter

    Click Add network adapter. Under Adapter model, choose a model for which the guest operating system has a driver. The default is virtio-net-pci; e1000 and vmxnet3 are also available.

Connect using Native

A target network already connected to this VM is unavailable for another connection to the same VM. If an expected network is missing, check both the existing Native adapters and the Trunk mappings.

Example connectionNative
Virtual server
Network adapterUntagged
Target virtual networkApplication network
  1. 1

    Choose Native

    Select Native mode in the dialog. The available virtual networks will appear.

  2. 2

    Select the networks

    Select one or more networks. Choosing two networks creates two separate adapters, each with its own MAC address.

  3. 3

    Save your selection

    Click Add adapter and check the new connection in the overview.

Connect using Trunk

Example connectionTrunk
Virtual server
Network adapterTrunk
VLAN in VM10Target virtual networkApplication network
VLAN in VM20Target virtual networkDatabase network
  1. 1

    Choose Trunk

    Select Trunk mode. If the VM already has a Trunk, use Edit mappings on that adapter instead of adding another one.

  2. 2

    Add the first mapping

    Click Add mapping. Enter a tag such as 10 in VLAN in VM and select Application network under Target virtual network.

  3. 3

    Add another network

    Add a second row with tag 20 and Database network as its target. These names are examples; choose the corresponding networks in your service.

  4. 4

    Check and save

    Each tag must be an integer from 1 to 4094 and must be unique on the Trunk. The same target network cannot be connected more than once within a VM, including across Native and Trunk adapters. Confirm with Add adapter.

Check the MAC and restart the VM

Check the adapter model and MAC address in the overview. For a Trunk, verify every tag → target network pair. The MAC identifies the specific adapter; a VLAN number or the order in which adapters appear is not a substitute.

  1. 1

    Note the adapter identity

    Copy the MAC of the adapter you will configure inside the VM. When adding several Native connections, each created adapter has a different MAC.

  2. 2

    Restart the server

    Changes take effect after restarting the VM. Restarting from the guest operating system is sufficient. Saving an adapter does not restart the VM for you.

Complete the guest operating system setup

  1. 1

    Find the correct adapter

    Match the MAC shown in the administration interface with the adapters in the guest operating system. Interface names can differ between systems.

  2. 2

    Configure the connection

    For Native, use the matching adapter without VLAN tagging. For Trunk, create VLAN interfaces on that adapter using the same tags as the mappings — 10 and 20 in this example.

  3. 3

    Verify communication

    Configure IP addresses, routing and any required DNS settings for your network. Then check that the intended destination is reachable through each connected network.

Edit and check the connection

To change an existing Trunk, choose Edit mappings beside the correct MAC. Add, change or remove rows and confirm with Save mappings. The adapter keeps its MAC and model. Restart the VM again, and update its guest VLAN interfaces if needed.

  • Connection not working? Compare the adapter MAC, the guest VLAN tag and the target network in the administration interface. Also check IP addressing and routing inside the VM.
  • Target network missing from the list? Check whether another adapter or mapping in this VM already uses it.
  • A Trunk with no mappings is a valid saved configuration, but it is not connected to any target network.
  • Unsure whether saving succeeded? Close the dialog and check the adapter list and saved mappings first. Do not send the same request again without checking.
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