Lab 6: Validating, Testing & Troubleshooting HA Group Functionality

Now that we have succesfully configured HA Groups we will perform a series of validation tests, as well as provide tips for troubleshooting.

Lab Tasks:

• Task 1: Disable an interface to force HA Group actions

• Task 2: Re-enable Interface, and Observe BIG-IP Behavior

Task 1: Disable an interface to force HA Group actions

In this task we will:

• Manipulate an interface on the active BIG-IP

• Disable an interface and observe BIG-IP behavior during failover

• Monitor logs to review the failover process

On the active BIG-IP:

• Navigate to Network, Interfaces, and place checkmark next to interface 1.1 then click on the Disable button.

  

• During this time observe the BIG-IP status in the upper-left corner of each BIG-IP. Did a failover event occur and did state change?

  

  Observe the log messages from each BIG-IP. Previously, BIG-IP A was the Standby device. Conversely, BIG-IP B was previously the Active

  device.

  

Task 2: Re-enable Interface, and Observe BIG-IP Behavior

In Task 2, we will now re-enable Interface 1.1 on the Standby BIG-IP by performing the following step.

1. On the standby BIG-IP, Navigate to: Network > Interfaces > Interface List, and place checkmark next to interface 1.1 then click the Enable button.

   

2. Did a failover event occur? If so, why or why not?

Lab Summary

In this lab, you tested & validated bringing down a BIG-IP interface, simulating a "link failure," and how that affects a failover event with HA Groups. After completion of these lab tasks, you should have a better understanding of how the BIG-IP behaves with an advanced HA Group Configuration.

This completes Lab 6.

• K16947: F5 recommended practices for the HA group feature

• Manual : BIG-IP Device Service Clustering: Administration

• Manual Chapter : Creating an Active-Standby Configuration using the Configuration Utility

• K13946: Troubleshooting ConfigSync and device service clustering issues

• Archived - K41983050: The HA group score displayed with tmsh shows that the sys ha-group command no longer includes the active bonus

NOTE:

Ports Device group members should be able to communicate over ports 443, 4353, 1026 (UDP), and 22 (recommended). BIG-IP ASM requires the following additional Policy Sync TCP ports: 6123-6128

1. Task 1: Create BIG-IP Trunks

• tmsh create net trunk int_trunk interfaces add { 1.1 }

• tmsh create net trunk ext_trunk interfaces add { 1.2 }

• tmsh create net trunk HA_trunk interfaces add { 1.3 }

1. Task 2: Create BIG-IP VLANs

• tmsh create net vlan int_vlan_10 tag 10 interfaces add { int_trunk }

• tmsh create net vlan ext_vlan_20 tag 20 interfaces add { ext_trunk }

• tmsh create net vlan HA_vlan_30 tag 30 interfaces add { HA_trunk }

1. Task 3: Create BIG-IP Self IPs

• tmsh create net self self_vlan10 address 10.1.10.242/24 vlan int_vlan_10

• tmsh create net self self_vlan20 address 10.1.20.242/24 vlan ext_vlan_20

• tmsh create net self self_ha_vlan30 address 10.1.30.242/24 vlan HA_vlan_30

1. Task 4: Define Device Service Cluster High-Availability Settings

• tmsh modify cm device bigip1 configsync-ip 10.1.30.242

• tmsh modify cm device bigip1 unicast-address { { ip 10.1.10.242 } { ip 10.1.20.242 } }