Active/Standby clustering

The Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) creates virtual routers that bind to a floating, virtual IP address that can be shared between an active and standby HAProxy ALOHA instance.

If the active instance should go offline and trigger a failover, then the standby instance inherits the IP address and resumes serving traffic. The new virtual IP address(es) should fall within the interface’s IP subnet but shouldn’t already be assigned to any server.

The following events can trigger a failover:

• The active instance lowers its weight below one of the backup instances due to a failed health check.
• A backup instance is reconfigured with a weight larger than the current active instance.
• The active instance stops emitting its heartbeat packet to the cluster.

Enable the VRRP service Jump to heading #

Before you enable the VRRP daemon on both the active and standby instances, you must enable the VRRP service.

1. In the Services tab, make sure the syslogd service is up and running. The syslogd service must be running before you start the VRRP service.

2. In the Services tab, click vrrp setup.

   

   Enter the following directives:

   Directive	Value
   group	Enable VRRP on group of network interfaces. Specify a single name or a space-separated list of interface names. Don’t set this directive if you plan to use the Network Management CLI or Data Plane API. Remove it if it’s set.
   track_svc	Check that the haproxy service is running. Optionally, if you are using LVS, also add a check for the ipvsd service.
   track_mgt	Check that the sshd and wui services are running.
   no autostart	Remove or comment out the line.

   Example:

   text
   service vrrp
     group eth0
     # Optionally, track ipvsd if using LVS.
     track_svc  haproxy ipvsd 
     track_mgt  sshd wui
     # no autostart

   text
   service vrrp
     group eth0
     # Optionally, track ipvsd if using LVS.
     track_svc  haproxy ipvsd 
     track_mgt  sshd wui
     # no autostart

3. Click OK and Close to return to the Services tab.

4. Restart the vrrp service.

   

Configure the active VRRP instance Jump to heading #

You can configure the active VRRP instance using the UI or the Network Management CLI. Before configuring the VRRP instances, be sure to enable the VRRP service.

Use the UI Jump to heading #

Follow these steps to configure the active VRRP instance using the UI.

1. Decide on a Virtual Router Identifier (VRID) for the cluster. The VRID can be any number between 1 and 255. It is a unique identifier that is the same on the active and standby instances. It allows the instances to share a virtual router and virtual IP address.

   Do not use a VRID already in use. To list VRIDs already in use, do one of the following:

   • From the Tools tab, select capture from the drop-down, then enter the interface name where you will configure VRRP, and the vrrp keyword. Then run the diagnostic.

     

   • Run the following command from a terminal:

     nix
     sudo tcpdump -vvvenns0 -c 5 -i eth0 vrrp | grep -o "vrid [0-9]*"

     nix
     sudo tcpdump -vvvenns0 -c 5 -i eth0 vrrp | grep -o "vrid [0-9]*"

     output
     text
     [...]
     5 packets captured
     6 packets received by filter
     0 packets dropped by kernel
     vrid 161
     vrid 155

     output
     text
     [...]
     5 packets captured
     6 packets received by filter
     0 packets dropped by kernel
     vrid 161
     vrid 155

   If the output from either method does not contain any lines with a vrid, you do not have any VRIDs already in use, and they are all available.

2. In the Services tab, click network instance setup next to a network interface.

   

3. Enter the following parameters to create a new VRRP instance:

   Directive	Value
   vrrp inst default id	Enter the VRID determined previously.
   vrrp inst default garp	Gratuitous ARP polling interval in seconds. 30.
   vrrp inst default prio	VRRP instance default priority. 101 or higher for master.
   vrrp inst default address	The Virtual IP. The new address should fall within the interface’s IP subnet but shouldn’t already be assigned to any server.
   vrrp inst default password	VRRP instance authentication password. aloha (recommended).
   vrrp inst default no-address	Recommended. Enables you to configure more than 20 VIPs by implementing the virtual_ipaddress_excluded directive in the underlying VRRP configuration.

   Example:

   text
   service network eth0
     ip address 172.16.24.238/24
     ip route default 172.16.24.1
     vrrp inst    default id        130
     vrrp inst    default garp      30
     vrrp inst    default prio      101
     vrrp inst    default address   172.16.24.235
     vrrp inst    default password  aloha
     vrrp inst    default no-address

   text
   service network eth0
     ip address 172.16.24.238/24
     ip route default 172.16.24.1
     vrrp inst    default id        130
     vrrp inst    default garp      30
     vrrp inst    default prio      101
     vrrp inst    default address   172.16.24.235
     vrrp inst    default password  aloha
     vrrp inst    default no-address

4. Click OK and Close to return to the Services tab.

5. Restart the network service.

   Version > 16.0

   In versions greater than 16.0, instead of manually restarting the network service, click the Apply new configuration button on the interface to apply the changes and automatically restart the network interface service.

6. To make your changes persistent after a reboot, click the Setup tab. Then click Save under Configuration.

   The Configuration was successfully saved message displays.

   

Use the Network Management CLI Jump to heading #

Follow these steps to configure the active VRRP instance using the Network Management CLI.

1. If you have not already done so, install the Network Management CLI.

2. Remove incompatible directives from the VRRP service:

   • In the Services tab, click vrrp setup.

   • Delete the group directive if it exists.

   • Click OK and Close to return to the Services tab.

   • Restart the vrrp service.

     

3. Go to the Tools tab and click Launch terminal.

4. Decide on a Virtual Router Identifier (VRID) for the cluster. The VRID can be any number between 1 and 255. It is a unique identifier that is the same on the active and standby instances. It allows the instances to share a virtual router and virtual IP address.

   Do not use a VRID already in use. To list VRIDs already in use, run the following command:

   nix
   sudo tcpdump -vvvenns0 -c 5 -i eth0 vrrp | grep -o "vrid [0-9]*"

   nix
   sudo tcpdump -vvvenns0 -c 5 -i eth0 vrrp | grep -o "vrid [0-9]*"

   output
   text
   [...]
   5 packets captured
   6 packets received by filter
   0 packets dropped by kernel
   vrid 161
   vrid 155

   output
   text
   [...]
   5 packets captured
   6 packets received by filter
   0 packets dropped by kernel
   vrid 161
   vrid 155

5. To create a new active VRRP instance, use the netctl connection modify command on your interface, specifying the ID of the interface and the following directives as parameters:

   Directive	Value
   id	Enter the VRID determined previously.
   inst	The VRRP instance. default.
   version	Set version to v2.
   prio	VRRP instance default priority. 101 or higher for master.
   garp	Gratuitous ARP polling interval in seconds. 30.
   no-address	Recommended. Enables you to configure more than 20 VIPs by implementing the virtual_ipaddress_excluded directive in the underlying VRRP configuration.
   password	VRRP instance authentication password. aloha (recommended).
   address	The Virtual IP. The new address should fall within the interface’s IP subnet but shouldn’t already be assigned to any server.

   When you create your VRRP instances, you will provide a VRRP version, either V2 or V3. The versions differ slightly. You must use V3 if you require IPv6, but v2 if you need more than 20 VIPs since that version supports the no-address setting. Consider the differences in the table below before choosing a version.

   Consideration	VRRP V2	VRRP V3
   IPv6 Support	No	Yes
   Timers	Seconds	Milliseconds
   Multicast address	224.0.0.18 for IPv4	224.0.0.18 for IPV4, FF02:0:0:0:0:0:0:12 for IPv6
   Virtual router id	Uses mac address 0000.5E00.01xx for IPv4, where xx is the virtual router id in hexadecimal	Uses mac address 0000.5E00.01xx, where xx is the virtual router id in hexadecimal for IPv4. Uses multicast address FF02::12 for IPv6 for sending hello messages.
   Preemption criteria	A node with the same priority value but with a higher IP would cause preemption	Only a higher priority on a node would cause preemption
   Enable VRRP	Enable on a per-interface basis	Enable globally

   Example:

   nix
   sudo netctl connection modify ethernet-eth0 vrrp.instances 'inst=default id=130 v2 prio=101 garp=30 no-address password=aloha 172.16.24.235'
   sudo netctl connection up ethernet-eth0

   nix
   sudo netctl connection modify ethernet-eth0 vrrp.instances 'inst=default id=130 v2 prio=101 garp=30 no-address password=aloha 172.16.24.235'
   sudo netctl connection up ethernet-eth0

   output
   text
   # Stopping network[eth0] ...
     ==> stop network[eth0] : Done.
   # Starting network[eth0] ...
   Cannot set new settings: Operation not supported
     not setting autoneg
     ==> Link configuration changed for interface eth0
     ==> start network[eth0] : Done.
     ==> load ip config network[eth0] : Done.
   Updating VRRP configuration.
   Connection successfully activated

   output
   text
   # Stopping network[eth0] ...
     ==> stop network[eth0] : Done.
   # Starting network[eth0] ...
   Cannot set new settings: Operation not supported
     not setting autoneg
     ==> Link configuration changed for interface eth0
     ==> start network[eth0] : Done.
     ==> load ip config network[eth0] : Done.
   Updating VRRP configuration.
   Connection successfully activated

   Tip

   Be sure to enclose the parameter list for the netctl connection modify command in single quotes ''.

6. Save the configuration to make your changes persistent after a reboot:

   nix
   sudo config save

   nix
   sudo config save

Configure the standby VRRP instance Jump to heading #

You can configure the standby VRRP instance using the UI or the Network Management CLI. Before configuring the VRRP instances, be sure to enable the VRRP service.

Use the UI Jump to heading #

1. In the Services tab, click network instance setup next to a network interface.

   

2. Add the following parameters to create a new VRRP instance:

   Directive	Value
   vrrp inst default id	Same VRID as on the active HAProxy ALOHA instance.
   vrrp inst default garp	Gratuitous ARP polling interval in seconds. 30.
   vrrp inst default prio	VRRP instance default priority. 100 for backup.
   vrrp inst default address	The Virtual IP.
   vrrp inst default password	VRRP instance authentication password. aloha (recommended).
   vrrp inst default no-address	Recommended. Enables you to configure more than 20 VIPs by implementing the virtual_ipaddress_excluded directive in the underlying VRRP configuration.

   Example:

   text
   service network eth0
     ip address 172.16.24.237/24
     ip route default 172.16.24.1
     vrrp inst    default id        130
     vrrp inst    default garp      30
     vrrp inst    default prio      100
     vrrp inst    default address   172.16.24.235
     vrrp inst    default password  aloha
     vrrp inst    default no-address

   text
   service network eth0
     ip address 172.16.24.237/24
     ip route default 172.16.24.1
     vrrp inst    default id        130
     vrrp inst    default garp      30
     vrrp inst    default prio      100
     vrrp inst    default address   172.16.24.235
     vrrp inst    default password  aloha
     vrrp inst    default no-address

3. Click OK and Close to return to the Services tab.

4. Restart the network service.

   Version > 16.0

   In versions greater than 16.0, instead of manually restarting the network service, click the Apply new configuration button on the interface to apply the changes and automatically restart the network interface service.

5. To make your changes persistent after a reboot, click the Setup tab. Then click Save under Configuration.

   The Configuration was successfully saved message displays.

   

Use the Network Management CLI Jump to heading #

Follow these steps to configure the standby VRRP instance using the Network Management CLI.

1. Remove incompatible directives from the VRRP service:

   • In the Services tab, click vrrp setup.

   • Delete the group directive if it exists.

   • Click OK and Close to return to the Services tab.

   • Restart the vrrp service.

     

2. To create a new standby VRRP instance, use the netctl connection modify command on your interface, specifying the ID of the interface and the following directives as parameters:

   Directive	Value
   id	Same VRID as on the active HAProxy ALOHA instance.
   inst	The VRRP instance. default.
   version	Either v2 or v3. We recommend v2, which supports the no-address directive.
   prio	VRRP instance default priority. 100 for backup.
   garp	Gratuitous ARP polling interval in seconds. 30.
   no-address	Recommended. Enables you to configure more than 20 VIPs by implementing the virtual_ipaddress_excluded directive in the underlying VRRP configuration.
   password	VRRP instance authentication password. aloha (recommended).
   address	The Virtual IP.

   Example:

   nix
   sudo netctl connection modify ethernet-eth0 vrrp.instances 'inst=default id=130 v2 prio=100 garp=30 no-address password=aloha 172.16.24.235'
   sudo netctl connection up ethernet-eth0

   nix
   sudo netctl connection modify ethernet-eth0 vrrp.instances 'inst=default id=130 v2 prio=100 garp=30 no-address password=aloha 172.16.24.235'
   sudo netctl connection up ethernet-eth0

   output
   text
   # Stopping network[eth0] ...
     ==> stop network[eth0] : Done.
   # Starting network[eth0] ...
   Cannot set new settings: Operation not supported
     not setting autoneg
     ==> Link configuration changed for interface eth0
     ==> start network[eth0] : Done.
     ==> load ip config network[eth0] : Done.
   Updating VRRP configuration.
   Connection successfully activated

   output
   text
   # Stopping network[eth0] ...
     ==> stop network[eth0] : Done.
   # Starting network[eth0] ...
   Cannot set new settings: Operation not supported
     not setting autoneg
     ==> Link configuration changed for interface eth0
     ==> start network[eth0] : Done.
     ==> load ip config network[eth0] : Done.
   Updating VRRP configuration.
   Connection successfully activated

   Tip

   Be sure to enclose the parameter list for the netctl connection modify command in single quotes ''.

3. Save the configuration to make your changes persistent after a reboot:

   nix
   sudo config save

   nix
   sudo config save

Check that VRRP works Jump to heading #

In the steps below, we shut down the active instance and then verify that the VIP was transferred to the standby instance by comparing the MAC addresses returned for the VIP.

From a Linux machine on the same network, check which MAC address is associated with the VIP by executing arping.

1. Check the MAC address on your HAProxy ALOHA instances.

   nix
   arp -a

   nix
   arp -a

2. Check which MAC addresses are associated with the VIP and the HAProxy ALOHA instances’ IP addresses.

   nix
   sudo arping -c 5 -I ens192 172.16.24.235 | cut -d " " -f 4

   nix
   sudo arping -c 5 -I ens192 172.16.24.235 | cut -d " " -f 4

   output
   text
   00:50:56:8a:fc:52

   output
   text
   00:50:56:8a:fc:52

   nix
   sudo arping -c 5 -I ens192 172.16.24.237 | cut -d " " -f 4

   nix
   sudo arping -c 5 -I ens192 172.16.24.237 | cut -d " " -f 4

   output
   text
   00:50:56:8a:1a:78

   output
   text
   00:50:56:8a:1a:78

   nix
   sudo arping -c 5 -I ens192 172.16.24.238 | cut -d " " -f 4

   nix
   sudo arping -c 5 -I ens192 172.16.24.238 | cut -d " " -f 4

   output
   text
   00:50:56:8a:fc:52

   output
   text
   00:50:56:8a:fc:52

   The MAC address associated with the VIP is the active HAProxy ALOHA instance’s address.

3. Shut down your test HAProxy ALOHA instance, then check the MAC addresses.

   nix
   sudo arping -c 5 -I ens192 172.16.24.235 | cut -d " " -f 4

   nix
   sudo arping -c 5 -I ens192 172.16.24.235 | cut -d " " -f 4

   output
   text
   00:50:56:8a:1a:78

   output
   text
   00:50:56:8a:1a:78

   nix
   sudo arping -c 5 -I ens192 172.16.24.237 | cut -d " " -f 4

   nix
   sudo arping -c 5 -I ens192 172.16.24.237 | cut -d " " -f 4

   output
   text
   00:50:56:8a:1a:78

   output
   text
   00:50:56:8a:1a:78

   nix
   sudo arping -c 5 -I ens192 172.16.24.238

   nix
   sudo arping -c 5 -I ens192 172.16.24.238

   output
   text
   Timeout

   output
   text
   Timeout

   The MAC address associated with the VIP is now the address of the previously standby HAProxy ALOHA instance.

Fail over to the standby instance Jump to heading #

To manually fail over to the standby instance for doing routing maintenance on the active instance, reconfigure the backup instance a weight larger than the current active instance.

Troubleshooting Jump to heading #

Detect duplicate IPs Jump to heading #

To troubleshoot duplicate IPs, you can use the ARP who-has diagnostic tool.

1. From the Tools tab, select arp who-has from the drop-down.

   

   You can also run the following command from a terminal:

   nix
   sudo arping -c 5 -I eth0 172.16.24.237

   nix
   sudo arping -c 5 -I eth0 172.16.24.237

If the MAC address associated with the IP address is:

• The address you expected, the problem may come from an upper layer.
• Not the address you expected, a duplicate IP is associated with the MAC address of the instance.

Capture VRRP packets Jump to heading #

1. From the Tools tab, select capture from the drop-down.

2. Enter the interface name where you will configure VRRP, and the vrrp keyword, then run the diagnostic.

   

   You can also run the following command from a terminal:

   nix
   sudo tcpdump -vvvenns0 -c 5 -i eth0 vrrp

   nix
   sudo tcpdump -vvvenns0 -c 5 -i eth0 vrrp

3. Check:

   • The source MAC address
   • The source IP address
   • The VRID
   • The VRRP priority

See also Jump to heading #

• The VRRP feature is a wrapper around the Keepalived software. The syntax we use is different, but you may still find the Keepalived documentation useful.