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Additional IPs (previously called Failover IPs) are public IP addresses that are independent of any specific server or service. You can move them between OVHcloud services within the same region, making them useful for failover, migrations, and load balancing.
OVHcloud renamed Failover IPs to Additional IPs in 2024. The functionality is identical; only the name changed. Existing Failover IPs continue to work without any changes required.

Order an Additional IP

Order a new Additional IP address or block from the Control Panel.

Move an IP between services

Reassign an Additional IP to a different server to maintain service availability.

Configure on Linux

Set up IP aliasing or bridge mode for direct routing on a Linux server.

Virtual MACs for VMs

Assign a virtual MAC to route an Additional IP through a virtual machine.

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What are Additional IPs?

An Additional IP address has the following characteristics:
  • Infrastructure-agnostic: not bound to any specific hardware or service. It exists independently in OVHcloud’s routing infrastructure.
  • Movable: can be reassigned between eligible services in the same region without changing DNS or upstream routing.
  • IPv4 and IPv6: IPv4 Additional IPs can be used on the public interface or over a vRack. IPv6 Additional IPs (as subnet blocks) are supported over a vRack.

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Use cases

  • Manual or automated failover: if a primary server fails, reassign its Additional IP to a standby server. With VRRP or CARP over a vRack, failover can happen automatically without manual intervention.
  • Zero-downtime migrations: move a public-facing IP to a new server without updating DNS records or waiting for TTL propagation.
  • IP aliasing: assign multiple IPs to a single server to host multiple services or websites.
  • VM routing: route a public IP directly into a virtual machine running on a hypervisor.
  • IP geolocation: use Additional IPs with geolocation from specific countries or regions to serve local audiences.

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Order an Additional IP

  1. In the OVHcloud Control Panel, go to Bare Metal Cloud > Network > Public IP addresses.
  2. Click Order Additional IPs.
  3. Choose the type of IP (single address or block), the geolocation, and the number of IPs.
  4. Confirm your order.
The IP is provisioned within a few minutes and appears under My public IP addresses and associated services.
OVHcloud offers Additional IPs with geolocation from multiple countries. Choose a location that corresponds to your users’ region to benefit from accurate geo-routing.

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Move an Additional IP

1

Open the IP management page

In the Control Panel, navigate to Bare Metal Cloud > Network > Public IP addresses.Use the All Additional IPs filter or type the IP address into the search bar to locate your IP.
2

Initiate the move

Click the ⁝ menu on the Additional IP row and select Move the Additional IP.
3

Select the target service

Choose the destination service from the list of eligible services in the same region. Click Confirm.
4

Verify routing

The IP move takes effect within a few seconds. Verify connectivity to the IP from your target server:
curl -4 ifconfig.me
You can also ping the IP from an external machine to confirm it is now routing to the new server.
Additional IPs can only be moved between services within the same region in which the IP was issued (with the exception of certain regions like eu-west-gra, eu-west-sbg, and eu-west-rbx where inter-region moves are possible via a vRack).

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Configure an Additional IP on Linux

Once an Additional IP is routed to your server, you must configure it in the OS so the server accepts and responds to traffic on that address.

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IP aliasing (single server, no VM)

Add the Additional IP as an alias on the primary network interface: 
sudo ip addr add <ADDITIONAL_IP>/32 dev eth0
This does not persist across reboots.

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Bridge mode for virtual machines

Bridge mode is the recommended approach for routing an Additional IP directly into a virtual machine running on a hypervisor (Proxmox, KVM, Hyper-V). It requires a virtual MAC address. Network flow in bridge mode: 
Public internet → Additional IP → Host server → Virtual bridge → VM
The key configuration elements are:
  • The VM uses the Additional IP as its IP address.
  • The gateway is the host server’s primary gateway (not a standard <IP>.1 gateway).
  • The VM is assigned the virtual MAC address associated with the Additional IP.
1

Create a virtual MAC address

In the Control Panel, find your Additional IP and click ⁝ > Add a virtual MAC.Choose ovh as the type (or vmware for VMware ESXi environments). Enter a name for the virtual machine, then confirm.The virtual MAC appears in the Virtual MAC column within a few seconds.
2

Find the gateway of the host

Log in to the Control Panel and open the General information tab of your dedicated server. The IPv4 gateway address is listed in the Network section.Alternatively, on the server itself:
ip route show default
3

Configure the VM network

In your VM’s network configuration, use the following values:
  • IP address: <ADDITIONAL_IP>
  • Netmask: 255.255.255.255
  • Gateway: <HOST_GATEWAY_IP> (the host’s default gateway, not derived from the IP block)
  • MAC address: the virtual MAC you created
Example for a Linux VM using /etc/network/interfaces:
auto eth0
iface eth0 inet static
    address <ADDITIONAL_IP>
    netmask 255.255.255.255
    gateway <HOST_GATEWAY_IP>
    post-up ip route add <HOST_GATEWAY_IP> dev eth0
    post-up ip route add default via <HOST_GATEWAY_IP>
    pre-down ip route del default via <HOST_GATEWAY_IP>
    pre-down ip route del <HOST_GATEWAY_IP> dev eth0
The gateway route must be set explicitly via the host’s gateway IP — a standard broadcast gateway (e.g. X.X.X.1) will not work for Additional IPs in bridge mode.

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Virtual MAC addresses

Virtual MACs are required when routing an Additional IP into a virtual machine. They allow the hypervisor’s switch to forward frames with the Additional IP’s MAC to the correct VM.
  • Each Additional IP can have one virtual MAC assigned to it.
  • For an IP block, virtual MACs are created per individual IP address within the block.
  • OVHcloud supports two virtual MAC types:
    • ovh — for most hypervisors (Proxmox, KVM, Xen).
    • vmware — for VMware ESXi environments.
Manage virtual MACs from Bare Metal Cloud > Network > Public IP addresses, using the ⁝ menu on your Additional IP.

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Using Additional IPs with hypervisors

In Proxmox, create a Linux bridge (vmbr1) on the vRack or physical interface, then assign the VM’s network interface to that bridge with the virtual MAC address. Configure the VM’s OS with the Additional IP, netmask 255.255.255.255, and the host’s gateway as described above.
Create a bridged network in libvirt connected to the physical interface. Set the VM’s MAC address to the virtual MAC from the Control Panel. Configure the guest OS network with the Additional IP and the explicit gateway route.
Create an external virtual switch bound to the physical NIC that carries the Additional IP. Assign the virtual MAC to the VM’s network adapter in Hyper-V Manager. Configure the guest with the Additional IP, subnet 255.255.255.255, and the gateway route.

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Reverse DNS (PTR record) configuration

A Reverse DNS record (PTR record) maps an IP address back to a hostname. Setting PTR records is important for mail server deliverability and for monitoring tools that perform reverse DNS lookups. To set a PTR record for an Additional IP:
  1. In the Control Panel, go to Bare Metal Cloud > Network > Public IP addresses.
  2. Click ⁝ on the Additional IP row and select Modify the reverse DNS.
  3. Enter the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) you want to associate with the IP (e.g. mail.example.com).
  4. Click Confirm.
The forward DNS record (A record) for the hostname you enter must already point to the Additional IP before you set the PTR record. OVHcloud validates the forward DNS before accepting the reverse DNS entry.

vRack — Private Network

Route Additional IPs over a vRack for cross-product failover and VRRP-based HA.

Object Storage

Store backups and static assets at scale with S3-compatible object storage.

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