Applicable versions: 9.5.3 build 18 onwards
Today organizations require stable, redundant and fast ISP links to run business critical applications. To achieve constant and secure availability to the Internet and to avoid network vulnerability, organizations prefer to have multiple ISP links. Multiple ISP links provisions network administrator to configure failover and load balancing over Internet links.
Cyberoam supports load balancing and failover for multiple ISP links based on number of WAN ports available in the Appliance
This document explains procedure to add secondary ISP link and configure load balancing and gateway failover with the following sections:
Add a New Gateway
Load Balancing and Failover (Active-Active) Configure Backup Gateway (Active-Backup) Configure Gateway Failover
Network scenario:
Zone WAN Gateway Details
ISP Name Default
IP Address 172.16.16.15 Port C IP Address 10.10.10.1 Subnet Mask 255.255.255.0 Zone DMZ Port D
Port D is an unbound port so zone type for port D is set to ‘None’ DNS Configuration
Primary DNS 66.28.0.61
Add a New Gateway
Pre-requisite
• An unbound physical port should be available on Cyberoam. An unbound port is one, which is not assigned to any security zone.
Following are the steps to add a new Gateway: 1. Log on to Web admin console
2. Click to run the Network Configuration Wizard.
3. Under Zone and Network Configuration section, using “Next” button go to port D and configure following values:
• Select ‘Use Static IP’ • IP Address: 10.10.2.1 • Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0 • Zone: WAN
Gateway Details
• ISP Name: Cyberoam_1 • IP Address: 10.10.2.19 4. Click Next to proceed
It will take few minutes to save the configuration details. Cyberoam will take some time to restart, wait for sometime before clicking the URL to access the Web Admin console.
6. If the gateway is added successfully, it will be enabled automatically and its status would be “Active” and weight as 1.You can confirm the gateway status from Web Admin console, System Æ Gateway Æ Manage Gateway(s) page
Load Balancing and Failover (Active-Active)
As the newly added gateway “Cyberoam_1” is operating as ‘Active’ gateway, Cyberoam will automatically distribute the traffic between both the links. Cyberoam employs weighted round robin algorithm for load balancing to enable maximum utilization of capacities across the various links.
To achieve failover for the Active-Active gateways, one has to define the failover condition for each gateway.
In the considered example, if the “Default” gateway goes down and failover condition is defined then the entire traffic will be processed by the “Cyberoam_1” gateway and vice versa.
2. Click Gateway Name to be configured as back up gateway
3. Under Gateway Details section change Gateway Type to “Backup”
4. Configure Backup Gateway Details as per below image
Initially traffic will not pass through the backup gateway. When any of active gateways fails then only traffic will be routed to backup gateway with inherited weight of failed active gateway
Configure Failover Condition
1. Log on to Web admin console
2. Go to System Æ GatewayÆ Manage Gateways
3. Click Gateway Name to configure failover condition. By default, Cyberoam creates Ping rule for every gateway. Cyberoam periodically sends the ping request to check health of the link and if link does not respond, traffic is automatically sent through another available link. Click checkbox to enable default failover rule.
Configure host must be represented by the computer or Network device which is permanently running or most reliable.
6. Click Save to save failover rule and gateway configuration
In below screen shot active gateway has been failed and entire traffic is routed through back up gateway Cyberoam_1
During a link failure, Cyberoam regularly checks the health of a given connection, assuring fast reconnection when Internet service is restored. When the connection is restored and gateway is up again, without the administrator’s intervention, traffic is again routed through the Active gateway. In other words, backup gateway fails back on Active gateway.