---
title: "Add VRF Interface"
slug: "add-vrf-interface"
updated: 2026-05-19T17:39:29Z
published: 2026-05-19T17:39:29Z
canonical: "docs.zpesystems.com/add-vrf-interface"
stale: true
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.zpesystems.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Add VRF Interface

VRF (Virtual Routing Forward) is a technology that allows multiple instances of a routing table to co-exist within same Linux Operating System.

A VRF connection can be created to restrict network traffic going through selected interfaces to a specific routing table.

Limitations

This feature currently supports limited use cases. For example, the Linux commands `ip vrf exec …` can be used by processes after configuring a VRF connection.

However, the VRF configuration does not guarantee that all processes in the system will use the routing tables. For example:

- Managed devices will try to establish connections looking at default VRF routes only
- VPN tunnels will be running on default VRF by default
  - IPSec can be configured to use a different VRF to establish tunnels
- Network failover is not prepared to handle a VRF slave connection
- Static routes page only adds routes in default VRF
- ZPE Cloud, TACACS+, LDAP, RADIUS and Kerberos can only look up routes in default VRF

> [!CAUTION]
> Warning: Potential Loss of Access
> 
> When creating a VRF interface, **do not assign a physical interface that is currently used as the device’s primary management connection** (for example, **eth0**) unless you fully understand the impact.
> 
> Reassigning the primary interface into a VRF changes its routing context and **can immediately break remote access** to the device through that interface.
> 
> If the device is managed through this connection, you **may lose SSH/HTTPS access** and need physical or out‑of‑band access to recover.
> 
> 
> 
> **Recommended practice**:
> 
> Use a **secondary interface** for VRF configurations or ensure that alternative access paths (e.g., serial console, OOBM) are available before making changes.

1. Go to the *NETWORK::CONNECTIONS* page
2. Click **Add** (displays dialog)
3. Enter **Name**
4. On **Type** drop-down, select **VRF** (dialog changes)

![](https://cdn.document360.io/763c5fb1-b9af-4ccd-9ad6-cf28ae4cd5a3/Images/Documentation/image-1753989960211.png)
5. Enter **Description**
6. If the **Connect Automatically** checkbox is selected, the connection is automatically established at startup
7. If **Block Unsolicited Incoming Packets** checkbox is selected, firewall rules will be created to automatically block all inbound connections on the interface
8. In the *VRF Connection*menu:
  1. Enter **Interface****to select the name of the new interface that will be created for this VRF. If empty, interface will be called *vrfN*, where N is a number starting at 0 and automatically incremented as needed
  2. **Table ID** defines the identificator of the routing table associated to this VRF interface
  3. **VRF Interfaces** is a space-separated list of other OS interfaces that will be slaves to the created VRF interface, having traffic respecting the specified routing table
9. In *IPv4 Mode*menu, enter details:
  1. **No IPv4 Address** radio button
  2. **Static** radio button (if selected, expands dialog). Enter **IP Address**, **BitMask**. and (optional) **Gateway IP**

![](https://cdn.document360.io/763c5fb1-b9af-4ccd-9ad6-cf28ae4cd5a3/Images/Documentation/image-1678380082753.png)
  3. (optional) **IPv4 DNS Server**
  4. **IPv4 DNS Search** (defines a domain name for DNS lookups)
  5. **IPv4 Default Route Metric**
  6. **Ignore obtained IPv4 Default Gateway** checkbox
  7. **Ignore obtained DNS server** checkbox
10. In *IPv6 Mode*menu, enter details:
  1. **No IPv6 Address** radio button
  2. **Link local Only** radio button
  3. If **Static** radio button is selected (displays menu). Enter **IP Address**, **Prefix Length**, and (optional) **Gateway IP ![](https://cdn.document360.io/763c5fb1-b9af-4ccd-9ad6-cf28ae4cd5a3/Images/Documentation/image-1678380303006.png)**
11. Click **Save**