SDX 6.4.x Network Guide > Configuring NIC Host Redundancy > Tasks to Configure NIC Host Redundancy

Tasks to Configure NIC Host Redundancy

To configure NIC host redundancy:

1. Access the NIC configuration with SDX Configuration Editor.
2. Complete the following tasks (in the order specified) to configure components for host redundancy:

1. Configuring Redundant Hosts
2. Configuring Communities

3. Save the NIC configuration file.
4. Export the NIC configuration file to the directory.
5. (Optional) Configure monitors. See Configuring Monitors.
6. Start NIC hosts. See Starting NIC Hosts.

Configuring Redundant Hosts

If you use NIC host redundancy, configure two redundant hosts for each host.

To configure redundant hosts:

1. In the configuration file for the NIC, click the Hosts tab.
2. In the Hosts pane, scroll to the configuration for the host for which you want to configure a redundant host, and find the heading Redundant Hosts.
3. Expand the Redundant Hosts entry, and create a new instance of a redundant host.

The Redundant Host fields appear in the Hosts pane.

4. Add information about the NIC components that this host will support (see the following field descriptions).
5. Repeat Steps 2 to 4 to create the other redundant host.

Redundancy Community

• Path to the community to which the redundant host belongs.
• Value—Path to community

• Path is relative to the Static Configuration object.
• Subfolders in a path are separated by the forward slash (/).

• Example—/communities/nicsae

Hot Standby Agents

• List of paths to redundant agents for SAE plug-in agents supported by the redundant hosts.
• Value—Comma-separated list of paths to agents

• Path is relative to the Static Configuration object.
• Subfolders in a path are separated by the forward slash (/).

• Example—agents/IpVr/demo, agents/DnVr/demo

Hosted Agents

• List of paths to agents and redundant agents supported by the redundant hosts.
• Value—Comma-separated list of paths to agents

• Path is relative to the Static Configuration object.
• Subfolders in a path are separated by the forward slash (/).

• Example—agents/IpVr, agents/IpVr/demo, agents/DnVr, agents/DnVr/demo, agents/PoolVr

Configuring Communities

To configure a community:

1. In the configuration file for the NIC, click on the Redundancy tab.
2. Expand the Communities entry, and create a new instance of a community.

The Community fields appear in the Redundancy pane.

3. Add information about the members that this community will support (see the following field descriptions).

Community Members

• List of community members—either two redundant hosts or two redundant agents plus an optional monitor.
• Value—Text string

• For hosts—Name of the redundant host in the format <primaryHostName>/<redundantHostName>
• For agents—Name of the redundant host that supports the redundant agent in the format <primaryHostName>/<redundantHostName>
• For monitor—Name of the monitor; must match the name specified in the monitor process (see Configuring a Monitor Process)

• Example—DemoHost/One, DemoHost/Two, DemoMonitor

Keep Alive Time

• Maximum time after which a host or agent in the community must receive an availability message from the other host or agent. If the secondary host or agent does not receive a message during this time, it assumes that the primary host or agent is unavailable and assumes control.
• Value—Number of seconds in the range 0-2147483647
• Example—agents/IpVr/demo, agents/DnVr/demo

By design, redundancy properties are not dynamically updated if their value changes in the directory. If you change the configuration for the redundancy communities while the two hosts are running but before you start the monitor, the configuration perceived by the monitor is different from the one perceived by the hosts.