Wireless Access

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Access network design for branch, remote, outdoor, and campus locations with HPE Aruba Networking access points and mobility controllers.
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Backup Controller Active-Standby Help

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  • 1.  Backup Controller Active-Standby Help

    Posted Aug 17, 2017 05:20 AM

    Hi,


    I am looking for some help to set up a backup controller.  I have two of the same model and currently the master controller is on a live environment.  I want to configure the second controller to act as a backup that will kick in if the master fails.  This will be an active-standby solution.  I have upgraded the firmware on the backup to match the master.


    My questions are:


    What is the easiest way to configure the master and backup for redundancy without actually harming the live environment and bringing down any APs?  Bare in mind we have RAPs that currently point to the IP address of the master.  How can I ensure these will not be effected during setup and will still be available if connection the master is lost and backup comes online?


    Thanks

    Scott



  • 2.  RE: Backup Controller Active-Standby Help

    EMPLOYEE
    Posted Aug 17, 2017 05:27 AM

    Unfortunately, the typical methods of campus redundancy, does not work with RAPs and Nat.  You would have to figure out redundancy for RAPs separately.  Also, there is no method for setting up redundancy that is not service-impacting for campus APs, so you would have to schedule a maintenence Window.

     

    The document here:  http://community.arubanetworks.com/t5/Validated-Reference-Design/Campus-WLAN-Redundancy/ta-p/287454 lays out all of your options and considerations.  The setup itself is not very hard, but the decisionmaking is what is time consuming.



  • 3.  RE: Backup Controller Active-Standby Help

    Posted Aug 17, 2017 05:35 AM

    Hi,

     

    Thanks for your reply - I am struggling to get my head round the guide so here is the steps I had planned.


    Current master IP is 192.168.22.2

    Backup I will give 192.168.22.3

     

    On both controllers can I go to redundancy menu and add a new VRRP to be 192.168.22.5 on both controllers with the master (192.168.22.2) having the highest priorty.

     

    Once this is done and then setup will I be able to go into the RAPs and re-provision these to point to the VRRP address (192.168.22.5) meaning that by using the virtual IP they will stay up should the master go down and the standby come online?

     

    Thanks



  • 4.  RE: Backup Controller Active-Standby Help

    EMPLOYEE
    Posted Aug 17, 2017 08:15 AM

    You have to :

     

    - Create a VRRP between the controllers

    - Configure Master Redundancy between controllers (https://community.arubanetworks.com/aruba/attachments/aruba/unified-wired-wireless-access/13066/1/Redundancy_Design_Guide.pdf - page 10)

    - point the LMS-IP to the VRRP ip address

     

    When you create a VRRP, it doesn't really do anything for redundancy before you point the APs at the VRRP address and configure master redundancy.

     

    RAP is a special situation that will not work with VRRP behind a firewall, though....



  • 5.  RE: Backup Controller Active-Standby Help

    Posted Aug 17, 2017 08:41 AM

    Hmm OK

     

    So this is slightly confusing as to why it would not work with firewall.

    Is there no way to set up to work with a firewall?

     

    Thanks



  • 6.  RE: Backup Controller Active-Standby Help

    EMPLOYEE
    Posted Aug 17, 2017 08:49 AM
    Specifically Aruba's implementation of VRRP will not work behind the firewall with static NAT. Most users would have a dedicated controller for RAP, or two controllers, each with a statically NATted public ip address that the RAP would use DNS round robin for redundancy.


  • 7.  RE: Backup Controller Active-Standby Help

    Posted Aug 18, 2017 01:22 PM

    Reguardless if its suppported or not, I have been successful with a couple different customers and pointing a RAP to a VRRP address for controller registration. When VRRP fails over, the RAP will have to register to the other controller which is not typically a huge issue. LMS/BKup-LMS will trigger a bootstrap as well. 

     

    There are a couple different ways RAP's can use be used with redundancy. Either option requires them to bootstrap when they failover. You do need to remember that the biggest challenge is when the RAP discovers the controller its hard coded and that can be fqdn or IP. I perosnally like to set the VRRP as the master discovery, as this way the RAP will boot, download its config, reguardless of which controller is active (both controllers must exist on same L2 segmant). There isn't any reason on why you cant test by using a VRRP on your single production controller, and open a firewall rule for 4500/udp. VRRP doesn't require a partner in order to become active. You could also go the opposite way if your setting up a local controller. Standby controllers cant register any AP's and you would have to failover the enviornment to test. 

     

    After config is downloaded the RAP will use LMS or Bkup-LMS depending on your config. If the controllers are in same datacenter and there isn't any internet redudnancy, it probably doesn't make sense to do 2 public IP's. If the controllers are in different data centers with different public IP's, then maybe its best to have lms and backup-lms. In the case of 2 data centers, maybe using a DNS entry for the master is best, as that can always be updated or applied as round robin for redundancy. 

     

    Biggest challenge with any remote worker is what happens if the vpn appliance goes down and is not in service. How can you dynamically get those devices to re-register. Upon registering to a controller the RAP will always download its latest config, and if the LMS changes and the RAP is registered it will be udpated and bootstrap to the new IP address. 

     

    As long as you create a new AP system profile and link that to a new AP-Group you shoudln't have any issues. Just keep in mind that references are used, and if the ap system profile your using in ap-group may or may not have LMS assigned. If there is no LMS it typically will use the master discovery IP. I have seen many customers update an ap system profile thinking it referenced only that ap-group, and they brought down the environment. (there is a "show reference" button, and i highly recommend to use it as much as you can). 

     

    The last I have to offer is about master-redundancy or master-local. Both methods will serve AP's just fine. It really comes down to personal preference and type of design your looking for. Most smaller deployemnts with 2 controllers typically use master-local, as it can be used in an active-active deployment; whereas master-redudnancy can only activate aps on master controller although there is always a mgmt plane to make config changes from. 

     

    Master-Reduancey = active-standby, and you can only register aps to the active controller. The role of the controller is triggered by VRRP failovers. Whats nice about this method is you always have a controller you can push config changes from. Make sure database sync is enabled. 

     

    Master-Local = active-active, and you can register aps to either controller. VRRP failover does not affect the redudancy model for controllers although could affect where AP's register. The local always obtains configs from master; and if master goes down you cant change anything on the WLAN until your master is back online. 

     

    hope this info helps!! 



  • 8.  RE: Backup Controller Active-Standby Help

    EMPLOYEE
    Posted Aug 18, 2017 02:09 PM

    Thank you for your post, as it gives the op and many other users perspective on what people are doing.

     

    With that being said, if something is not supported, that means at any time a public or secret code change can break it, and that is not a good way to deploy.  The user who opened this thread has two separate challenges and has not even gone down the initial road of provisioning master redundancy.  The op should probably focus on that first and work on the RAP situation later after....