Each Linode can use either Configuration Profile Interfaces or Linode Interfaces. These interface types differ in the following ways:

• Network settings. Linode interfaces are directly integrated into the Linode’s networking settings. In contrast, configuration profile interfaces are part of the configuration profile.
• Management. You can create, delete, or update Linode interface addresses only when the Linode is powered off. This ensures a clear and reliable association between the Linode and its network interfaces. You can modify configuration profile interfaces while the Linode is running, but changes only take effect after a reboot.
• Cloud Firewalls. A firewall is automatically assigned or you can assign a Cloud Firewall directly to each VPC or public Linode interface. Firewall templates are available for Linode interfaces and come with pre-configured protection rules. For configuration profile interfaces, Cloud Firewalls are applied at the Linode level, and the same firewall rules apply to all non-VLAN interfaces in the profile.
• Private IPv4 addresses. Configuration profile interfaces support private IPv4 addresses. Linode interfaces do not support private IPs.
• Linodes and LKE. Linode interfaces are supported on standard Linode, but not on Linode within an LKE cluster. If you're using LKE Cluster Linodes, continue using configuration profile interfaces for your setup.
• Primary interface. For Linode interfaces, you can set different primary interfaces for IPv4 and IPv6 addresses. If there are multiple eligible interfaces, you can choose the primary one. For configuration profile interfaces, you can't set different interfaces for IPv4 and IPv6 addresses. If there are multiple eligible interfaces, the primary interface is chosen automatically.
• MAC address. You can identify Linode interfaces using their MAC address. MAC addresses aren't available for configuration profile interfaces.

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You can upgrade a Linode with a legacy configuration profile interface to use a Linode interface. However, this action is irreversible and configuration profile interfaces can't be used afterwards. This means that such Linode can no longer be used with many of the Akamai Cloud products that require Private IPs (for example, NodeBalancer). For more information, see Upgrade Configuration profile interfaces to Linode interfaces

Select a network interface for new Linodes

You can select a network interface for new Linodes in Cloud Manager by following the instructions below.

1. Log in to Cloud Manager and navigate to Administration in the sidebar.
2. Click Account Settings.
3. Within the Network Interface Type panel, select the interface from the dropdown.
4. Click Save.

Interfaces