Deploy a Private Network and Router with Quick Start in InMotion Central

Introduction

Almost every server you run in the cloud needs a private network to live on and a router to reach the internet. Creating the network, the subnet, the router, and the link between them by hand takes several steps, and getting one setting wrong leaves your servers offline.

The Private Network + Router Quick Start template in InMotion Central builds all of it in one step. It creates a private network with a 192.168.10.0/24 subnet, sets DNS servers for anything you attach to it, and adds a router with a gateway on the public network.

This is the template to start with. The other Quick Start templates, such as Single Server, Docker Host, and WireGuard Gateway, put their servers on this network. In this tutorial, we'll show you how to deploy it and confirm it is ready to use.

Steps to Deploy the Private Network + Router Template

1. Open Quick Start in Your Cloud Project

1. Log in to InMotion Central and select Projects from the left navigation bar.
2. Open your cloud project and click Quick Start in the project sidebar.
3. Locate the Private Network + Router template card and click Deploy.

2. Configure Your Deployment Settings

In the Deploy Private Network + Router dialog, review or customize the settings:

Basic

• Stack name: Enter a name for this deployment (for example, private-network). Use letters, numbers, dots, underscores, or hyphens.
• Network name: Enter a name for the private network (defaults to private). This is the name you pick from the Private network dropdown in other templates.

Networking

• CIDR: The private address range for the subnet (defaults to 192.168.10.0/24, which gives you addresses 192.168.10.1 through 192.168.10.254).
• DNS servers: Comma-separated DNS servers handed to every server on the network (defaults to 1.1.1.1, 8.8.8.8).
• Public network: Keep External selected. The router uses it as its gateway to the internet.

3. Launch and Monitor Your Deployment

1. Click Deploy.
2. Scroll down to My Deployments at the bottom of the Quick Start page to track progress.
3. This template creates no servers, so it usually finishes in under a minute. When it is done, the Status column changes to CREATE_COMPLETE.

4. View Your Network Details

1. Next to your private-network deployment under My Deployments, click Outputs.
2. The outputs list the IDs of the three pieces that were created: private_network_id, private_subnet_id, and router_id.

How to Know the Deployment Was Successful

Once the status reaches CREATE_COMPLETE, your network is ready:

1. The Outputs dialog shows a value for private_network_id, private_subnet_id, and router_id. A missing value means that piece was not created.
2. Click Deploy on any other template, such as Single Server. The Private network dropdown now lists your network (private by default), and InMotion Central no longer offers to create one for you.

What Was Automatically Created

Our test deployment created these resources:

• Private network: named private, for traffic between your servers.
• Subnet: 192.168.10.0/24, with DNS servers 1.1.1.1 and 8.8.8.8. Servers you attach later get an address from this range automatically.
• Router: with its gateway on the External network, so servers on the subnet can reach the internet.
• Router interface: the link that connects the subnet to the router.

You only need one of these per project. Deploy it once, then choose it from the Private network dropdown in every other template. If you ever want to delete it, delete the deployments that use it first, because a network with servers still attached cannot be removed.