APA -- 11.23 -- How to configure Load Balancing and Failover

[Avinash20]

I like to configure the following

lan 0 and lan 1 as lan900
This should be used for Load Balancing as well as shud work as Failover.

Load Balancing on lan0 and lan1 as lan900
If lan0 fails, failover to lan1

Is this possible and how..

[Ganesan R]

Hi,

It is possible. For that you should have APA license from HP(atleast for 11.11. not sure about 11.23).

[Avinash20]

Thanks for the reply.
No doubt am having the license for APA.

[Ganesan R]

Hi,

refer this.

http://docs.hp.com/en/J4240-90046/index.html

[Tim Nelson]

Avinash,

Other than purchasing and installing HP AutoPortAggregation software, three things need to happen.

1) lan0 and lan1 must be the same speed NICs( e.g. both 100M or both 1000M )

2) The switch ports that these nics are connected to must support channel grouping/trunking.

3) You need to configure APA correctly.
The config files are /etc/rc.config.d/hp_apaconf and hp_apaportconf. Configuration is pretty simple. Just follow the guide or the examples in the config files.

[rick jones]

Others have already pointed at some of the docs. I'm just going to point-out that the sort of balancing you get for outbound traffic will depend on the algorithm you select in the APA config and the sort of balancing you get on inbound will depend on the algorithm you select on the switch. Also, any _one_ "flow" (where the definition of "flow" depends on your algorithm selections) will still only go as fast as one link. The increase in aggregate perfomance is just that - for an aggregate of flows.

[skt_skt]

. One of the functions of this software(APA) allows us to remove the network interface cards (NICâ s) as single points of failure without using MC/ServiceGuard. Each server has two 100Base-T NICâ s and two 1000Base-SX NICâ s. Each pair is combined into one network instance by the APA software. In the event that any part of the one cardâ s connection is broken, the software switches the IP address(es) running on the failed card to the other healthy card.

To setup this scenario, each card of the pairs should be connected to a separate switch (eliminating the switch as a single point of failure) and be on the same network segment (same VLAN).

You must also install the APA software from HP (product # J4240AA) which requires a reboot. Once the machine comes back up, follow the directions below to setup the APA software:
LAN_MONITOR port configuration mode
LAN_MONITOR is the mode equal to NIC card failover w/ MCSG.

Assign an IP address to the primary link by typing, for example: ifconfig lan1 192.5.5.138
To preserve the IP address across reboots, you need to add the IP address for the primary port to /etc/rc.config.d/netconf.
(HP-UX 11.0 and 11i only) Edit the failover group and configuration mode in the /etc/rc.config.d/hp_apaportconf file. Example, to put lan1 and lan2 into a failover group: HP_APAPORT_INTERFACE_NAME[0]=lan1 HP_APAPORT_CONFIG_MODE[0]=LAN_MONITOR HP_APAPORT_INTERFACE_NAME[1]=lan2 HP_APAPORT_CONFIG_MODE[1]=LAN_MONITOR
Ensure there is a physical connection between the interfaces (lan1, lan2); then, to activate the configuration, type: /sbin/init.d/hplm stop {optional--for failover groups} /sbin/init.d/hpapa stop and then /sbin/init.d/hpapa start /sbin/init.d/hplm start {optional--for failover groups}
To query which link aggregates are possible, type: lanqueryconf -s
________________________________________

Running lanqueryconf -s will overwrite the original /etc/lanmon/lanconfig.ascii.
________________________________________
This command will query the system and network for all possible link aggregates. The results of the query will be placed in the configuration file /etc/lanmon/lanconfig.ascii. This file should contain data similar to:
NODE_NAME hpxyz6e POLLING_INTERVAL 10000000 DEAD_COUNT 3 FAILOVER_GROUP lan900 STATIONARY_IP 192.5.5.138 PRIMARY lan1 5 STANDBY lan2 3
You can manually edit this file and change the number of ports in the failover groups, the dead count, or the poll interval.
To verify that the configuration in /etc/lanmon/lanconfig.ascii is still valid, type: lancheckconf
To create the link aggregates specified in the configuration file, type: lanapplyconf
This command will create the specified link aggregates in the binary configuration file /etc/lanmon/lanconfig.
Note: if you later want to delete all the link aggregates specified in the /etc/lanmon/lanconfig.ascii configuration file, type: landeleteconf

[Avinash20]

Hi Gurus.. Thank everyone for responding to my post very generously !! :)

I'll give the points accordingly after I find my answers

I am aware on how to configure Load Balancing and how do configure Link Aggregate..

My query is on to how I would be able to configure both Load Balancing and Link Aggreate at the same time on two lan ports !!

[skt_skt]

I am not sure if APA is really meant for load balancing. rather we use them just as a fail over mechanism. If one card fails the other one takes get the IP and start working.

[rick jones]

Load balancing is certainly possible for _outbound_ with APA - it should be described in the aforementioned docs. You pick a packet scheduling algorithm to suite your needs and make that part of the configfile.

[Tim Nelson]

>>My query is on to how I would be able to configure both Load Balancing and Link Aggreate at the same time on two lan ports !!

Read what has already been posted.

[Avinash20]

Hi Gurus,, Thanks all for posting your answers..

Anyways my queries were never answered.

I believe its not possible to have load balancing and Failover when you have only two lan cards..
I am telling this since I didnt find this in any of the docs..

To have load balancing and failover to work, we need to have three lan cards(This configuration I got from the docs)

Please correct me, if am wrong !!

[Jannik]

You can say that failover doesn't make sense then you are talking about 2 cards on the same switch that do load balancing. If one of the cards fail the other will continue to work so in a sense load balancing on 2 cards hold some kind of failover.
It makes more sense if you have more than 2 cards 3 and up.

Lets say you have 8 ports you have created a load balance for 4 ports to one switch and the other 4 ports doing load balancing to the other switch, then you could create failover form one group to the other if necessary.

If both you interfaces 0 and 1 are connected to the same switch set them up as load balancing, if they are connect to separate switches create them as failover.

[Avinash20]

Thanks a lot !!

The above answer does make lot of sense..

My setup is that switch 1 connected to lan1 and switch 2 connnect to lan2.

[rick jones]

Ganesan R pointed at the APA manual, which I suspect you must not have read carefully enough. This part:

http://docs.hp.com/en/J4240-90046/ch03s03.html

describes the different load balancing alorithms on can configure on an aggregate. It even has a link within it called "load balancing"

http://docs.hp.com/en/J4240-90046/ch01s01.html#loadBalance

and that term appears more than once in the document.

[Avinash20]

APA failover and link aggregrate needs 3 lan card !!

[rick jones]

Not sure how you arrive at that conclusion. You can have a load balanced two link aggregate and if one link fails all the traffic will be carried on the remaining link.