How can I configure IPv6 inter-VLAN routing on XMG1915 switch?

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Q: How can I configure IPv6 inter-VLAN routing on my XMG1915 switch to allow communication between different VLANs?

A:

The XMG1915 series supports IPv6 routing, allowing you to enable communication between different VLANs directly on the switch without needing an external router. This capability is perfect for segmenting your network while still allowing controlled communication between segments by using IPv6.

This guide will walk you through the process of setting up IPv6 interfaces for your VLANs and enabling routing between them. Before you begin, ensure you have planned your VLAN structure and your IPv6 Link-Local Address (LLA) and Global Address scheme.

Configuration Process

Follow these steps in the switch's web GUI. Remember to replace the example values with the actual parameters for your network.

Step 1. Create VLANs

Navigate to SWITCHING > VLAN > VLAN Setup > Static VLAN > Add/Edit, and create your VLANs (e.g., VLAN1, VLAN2, VLAN3, VLAN4), assigning them to their corresponding port numbers.

Step 2. Set Port PVIDs

Go to SWITCHING > VLAN > VLAN Setup > VLAN Port Setup, and configure the correct PVID for each port to match its VLAN assignment.

Step 3. Create VLAN Interfaces

Go to SYSTEM > Interface Setup, and add each VLAN (VLAN1–VLAN4) as an individual interface.

Step 4. Activate IPv6 on Interfaces

Go to SYSTEM > IPv6 > IPv6 Interface Setup, and activate the newly created interfaces for VLAN1–VLAN4.

Step 5. Assign Link-Local Addresses
Go to SYSTEM > IPv6 > IPv6 Addressing > IPv6 Link-Local Address Setup, and assign a Link-Local Address to each of the VLAN interfaces.

Step 6. Assign Global/ULA Addresses
Go to SYSTEM > IPv6 > IPv6 Addressing > IPv6 Global Address Setup, and assign each VLAN interface a unique IPv6 Global Address using your ULA with a standard prefix length /64.

Step 7. Configure Client Devices

Connect your client devices (e.g., PC1 and PC2) to their respective VLAN ports. Manually configure their IPv6 settings using the previously assigned ULA addresses. Set the switch's IPv6 address as the default gateway.

Verification

After completing these steps, the XMG1915 will function as an IPv6 router for the configured VLANs.

To verify the setup, a client device in one VLAN should now be able to communicate with a client device in another VLAN. You can test this by using the ping command from a PC in VLAN1 to the IP address of a PC in VLAN2. The traffic will be routed by the XMG1915 switch.

(For example, PC1 and PC2 can successfully ping each other.)