diff --git a/src/network/netdev/tunnel.c b/src/network/netdev/tunnel.c
index 5dbbb83975..59da4d4376 100644
--- a/src/network/netdev/tunnel.c
+++ b/src/network/netdev/tunnel.c
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
 #include "tunnel.h"
 #include "util.h"
 
-#define DEFAULT_TNL_HOP_LIMIT   64
+#define DEFAULT_IPV6_TTL   64
 #define IP6_FLOWINFO_FLOWLABEL  htobe32(0x000FFFFF)
 #define IP6_TNL_F_ALLOW_LOCAL_REMOTE 0x40
 
@@ -177,13 +177,13 @@ static int netdev_ipip_sit_fill_message_create(NetDev *netdev, Link *link, sd_ne
         int r;
 
         assert(netdev);
+        assert(m);
 
         if (netdev->kind == NETDEV_KIND_IPIP)
                 t = IPIP(netdev);
         else
                 t = SIT(netdev);
 
-        assert(m);
         assert(t);
 
         if (link || t->assign_to_loopback) {
@@ -375,6 +375,7 @@ static int netdev_ip6gre_fill_message_create(NetDev *netdev, Link *link, sd_netl
         int r;
 
         assert(netdev);
+        assert(m);
 
         if (netdev->kind == NETDEV_KIND_IP6GRE)
                 t = IP6GRE(netdev);
@@ -382,7 +383,6 @@ static int netdev_ip6gre_fill_message_create(NetDev *netdev, Link *link, sd_netl
                 t = IP6GRETAP(netdev);
 
         assert(t);
-        assert(m);
 
         if (link || t->assign_to_loopback) {
                 r = sd_netlink_message_append_u32(m, IFLA_GRE_LINK, link ? link->ifindex : LOOPBACK_IFINDEX);
@@ -495,12 +495,15 @@ static int netdev_vti_fill_message_create(NetDev *netdev, Link *link, sd_netlink
 }
 
 static int netdev_ip6tnl_fill_message_create(NetDev *netdev, Link *link, sd_netlink_message *m) {
-        Tunnel *t = IP6TNL(netdev);
         uint8_t proto;
+        Tunnel *t;
         int r;
 
         assert(netdev);
         assert(m);
+
+        t = IP6TNL(netdev);
+
         assert(t);
 
         if (link || t->assign_to_loopback) {
@@ -564,45 +567,12 @@ static int netdev_ip6tnl_fill_message_create(NetDev *netdev, Link *link, sd_netl
 }
 
 static int netdev_tunnel_verify(NetDev *netdev, const char *filename) {
-        Tunnel *t = NULL;
+        Tunnel *t;
 
         assert(netdev);
         assert(filename);
 
-        switch (netdev->kind) {
-        case NETDEV_KIND_IPIP:
-                t = IPIP(netdev);
-                break;
-        case NETDEV_KIND_SIT:
-                t = SIT(netdev);
-                break;
-        case NETDEV_KIND_GRE:
-                t = GRE(netdev);
-                break;
-        case NETDEV_KIND_GRETAP:
-                t = GRETAP(netdev);
-                break;
-        case NETDEV_KIND_IP6GRE:
-                t = IP6GRE(netdev);
-                break;
-        case NETDEV_KIND_IP6GRETAP:
-                t = IP6GRETAP(netdev);
-                break;
-        case NETDEV_KIND_VTI:
-                t = VTI(netdev);
-                break;
-        case NETDEV_KIND_VTI6:
-                t = VTI6(netdev);
-                break;
-        case NETDEV_KIND_IP6TNL:
-                t = IP6TNL(netdev);
-                break;
-        case NETDEV_KIND_ERSPAN:
-                t = ERSPAN(netdev);
-                break;
-        default:
-                assert_not_reached();
-        }
+        t = TUNNEL(netdev);
 
         assert(t);
 
@@ -642,6 +612,9 @@ static int netdev_tunnel_verify(NetDev *netdev, const char *filename) {
         if (netdev->kind == NETDEV_KIND_VTI)
                 t->family = AF_INET;
 
+        if (t->assign_to_loopback)
+                t->independent = true;
+
         return 0;
 }
 
@@ -862,101 +835,31 @@ int config_parse_6rd_prefix(
         return 0;
 }
 
-static void ipip_sit_init(NetDev *n) {
+static void netdev_tunnel_init(NetDev *netdev) {
         Tunnel *t;
 
-        assert(n);
+        assert(netdev);
 
-        switch (n->kind) {
-        case NETDEV_KIND_IPIP:
-                t = IPIP(n);
-                break;
-        case NETDEV_KIND_SIT:
-                t = SIT(n);
-                break;
-        default:
-                assert_not_reached();
-        }
+        t = TUNNEL(netdev);
 
         assert(t);
 
         t->pmtudisc = true;
         t->fou_encap_type = NETDEV_FOO_OVER_UDP_ENCAP_DIRECT;
         t->isatap = -1;
-}
-
-static void vti_init(NetDev *n) {
-        Tunnel *t;
-
-        assert(n);
-
-        if (n->kind == NETDEV_KIND_VTI)
-                t = VTI(n);
-        else
-                t = VTI6(n);
-
-        assert(t);
-
-        t->pmtudisc = true;
-}
-
-static void gre_erspan_init(NetDev *n) {
-        Tunnel *t;
-
-        assert(n);
-
-        switch (n->kind) {
-        case NETDEV_KIND_GRE:
-                t = GRE(n);
-                break;
-        case NETDEV_KIND_ERSPAN:
-                t = ERSPAN(n);
-                break;
-        case NETDEV_KIND_GRETAP:
-                t = GRETAP(n);
-                break;
-        default:
-                assert_not_reached();
-        }
-
-        assert(t);
-
-        t->pmtudisc = true;
         t->gre_erspan_sequence = -1;
-        t->fou_encap_type = NETDEV_FOO_OVER_UDP_ENCAP_DIRECT;
-}
-
-static void ip6gre_init(NetDev *n) {
-        Tunnel *t;
-
-        assert(n);
-
-        if (n->kind == NETDEV_KIND_IP6GRE)
-                t = IP6GRE(n);
-        else
-                t = IP6GRETAP(n);
-
-        assert(t);
-
-        t->ttl = DEFAULT_TNL_HOP_LIMIT;
-}
-
-static void ip6tnl_init(NetDev *n) {
-        Tunnel *t = IP6TNL(n);
-
-        assert(n);
-        assert(t);
-
-        t->ttl = DEFAULT_TNL_HOP_LIMIT;
         t->encap_limit = IPV6_DEFAULT_TNL_ENCAP_LIMIT;
         t->ip6tnl_mode = _NETDEV_IP6_TNL_MODE_INVALID;
         t->ipv6_flowlabel = _NETDEV_IPV6_FLOWLABEL_INVALID;
         t->allow_localremote = -1;
+
+        if (IN_SET(netdev->kind, NETDEV_KIND_IP6GRE, NETDEV_KIND_IP6GRETAP, NETDEV_KIND_IP6TNL))
+                t->ttl = DEFAULT_IPV6_TTL;
 }
 
 const NetDevVTable ipip_vtable = {
         .object_size = sizeof(Tunnel),
-        .init = ipip_sit_init,
+        .init = netdev_tunnel_init,
         .sections = NETDEV_COMMON_SECTIONS "Tunnel\0",
         .fill_message_create = netdev_ipip_sit_fill_message_create,
         .create_type = NETDEV_CREATE_STACKED,
@@ -966,7 +869,7 @@ const NetDevVTable ipip_vtable = {
 
 const NetDevVTable sit_vtable = {
         .object_size = sizeof(Tunnel),
-        .init = ipip_sit_init,
+        .init = netdev_tunnel_init,
         .sections = NETDEV_COMMON_SECTIONS "Tunnel\0",
         .fill_message_create = netdev_ipip_sit_fill_message_create,
         .create_type = NETDEV_CREATE_STACKED,
@@ -976,7 +879,7 @@ const NetDevVTable sit_vtable = {
 
 const NetDevVTable vti_vtable = {
         .object_size = sizeof(Tunnel),
-        .init = vti_init,
+        .init = netdev_tunnel_init,
         .sections = NETDEV_COMMON_SECTIONS "Tunnel\0",
         .fill_message_create = netdev_vti_fill_message_create,
         .create_type = NETDEV_CREATE_STACKED,
@@ -986,7 +889,7 @@ const NetDevVTable vti_vtable = {
 
 const NetDevVTable vti6_vtable = {
         .object_size = sizeof(Tunnel),
-        .init = vti_init,
+        .init = netdev_tunnel_init,
         .sections = NETDEV_COMMON_SECTIONS "Tunnel\0",
         .fill_message_create = netdev_vti_fill_message_create,
         .create_type = NETDEV_CREATE_STACKED,
@@ -996,7 +899,7 @@ const NetDevVTable vti6_vtable = {
 
 const NetDevVTable gre_vtable = {
         .object_size = sizeof(Tunnel),
-        .init = gre_erspan_init,
+        .init = netdev_tunnel_init,
         .sections = NETDEV_COMMON_SECTIONS "Tunnel\0",
         .fill_message_create = netdev_gre_erspan_fill_message_create,
         .create_type = NETDEV_CREATE_STACKED,
@@ -1006,7 +909,7 @@ const NetDevVTable gre_vtable = {
 
 const NetDevVTable gretap_vtable = {
         .object_size = sizeof(Tunnel),
-        .init = gre_erspan_init,
+        .init = netdev_tunnel_init,
         .sections = NETDEV_COMMON_SECTIONS "Tunnel\0",
         .fill_message_create = netdev_gre_erspan_fill_message_create,
         .create_type = NETDEV_CREATE_STACKED,
@@ -1017,7 +920,7 @@ const NetDevVTable gretap_vtable = {
 
 const NetDevVTable ip6gre_vtable = {
         .object_size = sizeof(Tunnel),
-        .init = ip6gre_init,
+        .init = netdev_tunnel_init,
         .sections = NETDEV_COMMON_SECTIONS "Tunnel\0",
         .fill_message_create = netdev_ip6gre_fill_message_create,
         .create_type = NETDEV_CREATE_STACKED,
@@ -1027,7 +930,7 @@ const NetDevVTable ip6gre_vtable = {
 
 const NetDevVTable ip6gretap_vtable = {
         .object_size = sizeof(Tunnel),
-        .init = ip6gre_init,
+        .init = netdev_tunnel_init,
         .sections = NETDEV_COMMON_SECTIONS "Tunnel\0",
         .fill_message_create = netdev_ip6gre_fill_message_create,
         .create_type = NETDEV_CREATE_STACKED,
@@ -1038,7 +941,7 @@ const NetDevVTable ip6gretap_vtable = {
 
 const NetDevVTable ip6tnl_vtable = {
         .object_size = sizeof(Tunnel),
-        .init = ip6tnl_init,
+        .init = netdev_tunnel_init,
         .sections = NETDEV_COMMON_SECTIONS "Tunnel\0",
         .fill_message_create = netdev_ip6tnl_fill_message_create,
         .create_type = NETDEV_CREATE_STACKED,
@@ -1048,7 +951,7 @@ const NetDevVTable ip6tnl_vtable = {
 
 const NetDevVTable erspan_vtable = {
         .object_size = sizeof(Tunnel),
-        .init = gre_erspan_init,
+        .init = netdev_tunnel_init,
         .sections = NETDEV_COMMON_SECTIONS "Tunnel\0",
         .fill_message_create = netdev_gre_erspan_fill_message_create,
         .create_type = NETDEV_CREATE_STACKED,
diff --git a/src/network/netdev/tunnel.h b/src/network/netdev/tunnel.h
index 0f387ae68d..b9e68759fb 100644
--- a/src/network/netdev/tunnel.h
+++ b/src/network/netdev/tunnel.h
@@ -74,6 +74,36 @@ DEFINE_NETDEV_CAST(VTI, Tunnel);
 DEFINE_NETDEV_CAST(VTI6, Tunnel);
 DEFINE_NETDEV_CAST(IP6TNL, Tunnel);
 DEFINE_NETDEV_CAST(ERSPAN, Tunnel);
+
+static inline Tunnel* TUNNEL(NetDev *netdev) {
+        assert(netdev);
+
+        switch (netdev->kind) {
+        case NETDEV_KIND_IPIP:
+                return IPIP(netdev);
+        case NETDEV_KIND_SIT:
+                return SIT(netdev);
+        case NETDEV_KIND_GRE:
+                return GRE(netdev);
+        case NETDEV_KIND_GRETAP:
+                return GRETAP(netdev);
+        case NETDEV_KIND_IP6GRE:
+                return IP6GRE(netdev);
+        case NETDEV_KIND_IP6GRETAP:
+                return IP6GRETAP(netdev);
+        case NETDEV_KIND_VTI:
+                return VTI(netdev);
+        case NETDEV_KIND_VTI6:
+                return VTI6(netdev);
+        case NETDEV_KIND_IP6TNL:
+                return IP6TNL(netdev);
+        case NETDEV_KIND_ERSPAN:
+                return ERSPAN(netdev);
+        default:
+                return NULL;
+        }
+}
+
 extern const NetDevVTable ipip_vtable;
 extern const NetDevVTable sit_vtable;
 extern const NetDevVTable vti_vtable;