To add an additional network interface to an instance perform the steps described below.
Contents
Create a New Network Interface
The table below describes the steps required to create a new network interface that can later be added to an instance.
| Step | Details |
|---|---|
| Locate the Network Interfaces option on the EC2 dashboard and click on it. | Clicking on Network Interfaces opens the list of existing networks. |
| Create a new interface. | Click on Create Network Interface at the top of the interface list. This opens the interface creation window. |
On this screen,
Click on Create when you are done. The new interface will appear in the overview list. There you can assign a name to the interface. Check that the interface is in state available. |
Attach the Interface to your Instance
After creating a network interface, you have to assign it to the instance where it will be used.
| Step | Details |
|---|---|
| Locate your network interface in the interface list and right-click on it. | The right-click opens the context menu. Select Attach. This will open the window to enter the necessary information. |
| Select your instance and confirm entry. | Select your instance from the drop-down list and click on Attach. The state of your interface will change from available to in-use. |
| Verify that instance has second interface. | Select your instance in the instance list. This opens the instance details at the bottom of the screen. The description tab should now display two network interfaces as shown in the example below: |
Assign an Elastic IP Address to the Network Interface
The public IP address assigned to your instance by default when it starts, is not persistent. You will receive a new address when the instance is stopped and started again.
An Elastic IP address is a static, public IPv4 address to be used for one of your network interfaces or instances. You can associate an Elastic IP address with any instance or network interface in your account. Note that the advantage of associating the Elastic IP address with the network interface instead of directly with the instance is that you can move the network interface with its attributes easily from one instance to another.
The initial automatically assigned public IP address will be removed as soon as you restart the network or the instance after adding an Elastic IP address to your instance. Do not restart your network or your instance before you are sure you can reach it via the Elastic IP address.
The table below describes the steps required to add an Elastic IP address to a network interface.
| Step | Details |
|---|---|
| Locate the Elastic IPs option on the EC2 dashboard and click on it. | This will list the already created Elastic IP addresses. |
| Allocate a new address. | In the overview list, click on Allocate new address if you need to allocate a new address. It is also possible to assign an existing address to an interface. However, each address can only be used for one instance. This will open the address allocation window. |
In the address allocation window, select the Amazon pool (or your own pool of public addresses), and click on Allocate. The new address will be shown in the list. | |
| Associate the address with the network interface. | Right-click on the address and select Associate. A window to enter the required options opens. In the window,
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