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catap_229866's avatar
catap_229866
Icon for Nimbostratus rankNimbostratus
May 17, 2017

Cluster release and Standalone Device reconfiguration

Hello, I've configured an active - standby LTM cluster. I want to configure additional services and I had to remove a device from the cluster to apply the new setup on it: https://support.f5.com/csp/article/K95585957. Both devices are now Standalone state with the same config. On one of the devices I went into Forced Offline with nodes and VIPs disabled until I added the new config. At this point I have Active Standalone device on which the old services are running and a Forced Offline device on that the old services are disabled and the new VIPs are enable. After reconfiguration I wanted to test this new setup. But if I get this device out of the Force Offline state, I need each time to disable VIPs on the active device and then enable it for the old services to work. All the while old VIPs respond to ping and don't why traffic is going to the device with disabled VIPs.

 

Did I miss something when removing cluster devices? Any additional setup to check after devices went in Standalone state?

 

Unfortunately, I can not do many tests because active device is in production and not enough time for debug since maintenance window was too short when cluster was released.

 

application delivery
LTM
  • JRahm's avatar
    JRahm
    Icon for Admin rankAdmin
    May 17, 2017

    version? To your point though, removing the device from the cluster doesn't remove the config from that device, that's why the forced offline step is necessary to prevent multiple active devices on the same configuration objects. Disabling a virtual server doesn't disable arp, that setting is handled on the virtual address.

     

  • catap_229866's avatar
    catap_229866
    Icon for Nimbostratus rankNimbostratus
    May 17, 2017

    Hi Jason,

     

    Version is 12.1.1 Build 0.0.184 Final

     

    Please correct me if I'm wrong...I put in Force Offline state the Standby device..so arp record should be for active device.

     

    In my case what is the best practice to have two Standalone devices with same partial config and to be able to test new setup without removing existing config?

     

    Thanks

     

  • JG's avatar
    JG
    Icon for Cumulonimbus rankCumulonimbus
    May 17, 2017

    I wouldn't take the standby out of the device group. I would force-offline it, which lasts across reboots, in order to configure new things, and then fail over from the active to test the services - preferably in a maintenance window.

     

  • JRahm's avatar
    JRahm
    Icon for Admin rankAdmin
    May 17, 2017

    If the devices are both standalone, you have to disable the conflicting virtuals/snats/nats on one of the devices if one of them is NOT forced offline. Sorry if I was confusing. Once you pull the device out of the forced offline state, and both devices are still standalone, any shared objects managed by a traffic group will be active on both and thus conflicting, so you need to account for that.

     

  • catap_229866's avatar
    catap_229866
    Icon for Nimbostratus rankNimbostratus
    May 17, 2017

    Thanks Jason...do you think will be enough just to disable ARP and set DISABLE for VIPs in traffic group ?

     

  • JRahm's avatar
    JRahm
    Icon for Admin rankAdmin
    May 17, 2017

    snats as well, but yes. However, but I concur with Jie that it's best not to remove the device from the device group.