Last updated on: 2024-04-19 09:21:35.

Google Cloud Platform: Single NIC config sync

The following diagram shows a basic deployment of two BIG-IP VE instances in two separate zones. Each zone is in a different physical location, which helps ensure that your application remains available if one zone becomes unavailable.

In this deployment, the two BIG-IP VEs are synchronizing their configurations to one another; they are not communicating for the purpose of failover.

../_images/config_sync1.png

This deployment has the following benefits:

  • The two BIG-IP VEs are on different hardware, because they are in separate zones, and as such, both servers should not be down at the same time.
  • BIG-IP VE copies changes from one BIG-IP VE to the other through config sync.
  • If one BIG-IP VE fails, the other BIG-IP VE continues to process traffic, though the failed system drops the packets.
  • Both BIG-IP VEs have Active status and are available to process traffic.
  • BIG-IP VE can process more traffic; if each BIG-IP VE has 1 Gbps of throughput, then together they have 2 Gbps.

Configure config sync on Google Cloud Platform

Before you can complete this task:

  • Both BIG-IP VEs must be running the same version of BIG-IP VE system software.
  • The BIG-IP VEs must not use the same device name. To view the name, use the tmsh command: list /cm device. The device name is in the first line, for example cm device bigip1 {. To change the name, use mv cm device <current_device_name> <new_device_name>.
  • Firewall rules must allow traffic to port 4353 and 6699.

Enable config sync communication when you want to automatically or manually synchronize configuration information.

Note: The following steps apply to a single-NIC configuration only.

  1. Use an SSH tool to connect to each of the BIG-IP VEs.

  2. Ensure that you are at the tmsh prompt.

    tmsh
    
  3. On each BIG-IP VE, disable functionality that enforces single NIC setup.

    modify sys db provision.1nicautoconfig value disable
    
  4. Confirm that the value is correct by typing:

    list sys db provision.1nicautoconfig
    

    The return value should be: value "disable".

  5. If the BIG-IP VE instances are in different zones (us-west1-a and us-west1-b, for example), you must move your default gateway to a different partition by completing the following tasks on each BIG-IP VE.

    1. View the existing routes and note the IP addresses.

      list net route
      
    2. Delete the default route.

      delete net route default
      
    3. Delete dhclient_route1.

      delete net route dhclient_route1
      
    4. Create a new partition.

      create sys folder /LOCAL_ONLY device-group none traffic-group traffic-group-local-only
      
    5. Create dhclient_route1 in the new partition.

      create net route /LOCAL_ONLY/dhclient_route1 network <gateway_ip_address>/32 interface /Common/internal
      
    6. Create the default route in the new partition.

      create net route /LOCAL_ONLY/default network default gw <route_IP_address>
      
    7. Save the configuration.

      save sys config
      
    8. Change to the LOCAL_ONLY partition and confirm the route.

      cd /LOCAL_ONLY
      list net route
      
    9. Change back to the Common partition.

      cd /Common
      
  6. Set up device trust and config sync.

    1. On each BIG-IP VE, specify the static private IP address of the BIG-IP VE itself.

      modify cm device <device_name> configsync-ip <private_ip_address>
      
    2. Establish device trust: On one BIG-IP VE, enter the static private IP address of the other BIG-IP VE, along with its user name and password.

      modify cm trust-domain add-device { ca-device true device-ip <peer_ip_address> device-name <peer_device_name> username <peer_username> password <peer_password> }
      
    3. On the same BIG-IP VE as the previous step, create a sync-failover device group with network failover disabled.

      create cm device-group <device_group_name> devices add { <all-bigip-device-names-separated-by-space> } type sync-failover auto-sync enabled network-failover disabled
      
    4. Sync the BIG-IP VE to the other BIG-IP VE.

      run cm config-sync to-group <device_group_name>
      

The BIG-IP VEs are now in sync.