Set Up DNS Swing for PRA Failover B Series Appliance Configuration

Configure Primary Networking - Add Ip

Change the DNS entry for your Privileged Remote Access site from the primary B Series Appliance IP address to the IP address of the backup B Series Appliance.

 

Configure Networking on the B Series Appliances

Log into the /appliance administrative interface for your primary B Series Appliance, accessible from either its unique hostname or IP address (e.g., https://site1. example.com/appliance or https://12.12.1.50/appliance).

Because DNS directs the site domain, access.example.com, to this IP address, this is the primary B Series Appliance. All session activity will occur on this B Series Appliance.

Log into the /appliance administrative interface for your backup B Series Appliance, accessible from either its unique hostname or IP address (e.g., https:// site2. example.com/appliance or https://12.12.1.51/appliance).

Go to the Networking > IP Configuration page. If you have not already configured your static IP, click Add New IP and enter the static IP and subnet mask, making sure to keep this IP Enabled. Then click Save Changes.

Diagram of how DNS swing works with the B Series Appliance.

In the event that you encounter a potential failover situation, try to reserve failing over as an absolute last resort. If the primary B Series Appliance, Appliance A, is down, it is often quicker and has less of an impact to bring it back up rather than failing over to the backup B Series Appliance, Appliance B.

To fail over, access the DNS controller and locate the DNS entry for your Privileged Remote Access site (e.g., access.example.com). Edit the entry to point to the backup IP. Click Become Primary from the backup B Series Appliance Failover page. Once the DNS entry has propagated, you can resume normal activity. All requests to your site will be served by the backup B Series Appliance. Exact methods for achieving this task vary depending on your DNS provider and software, so consult your DNS documentation for exact steps to do this.

Example DNS Swing Configuration

  Primary B Series Appliance Backup B Series Appliance
Definition The B Series Appliance used during normal operations. The B Series Appliance used during failover operations.
IP Address 12.12.1.50 12.12.1.51
Hostname site1.example.com site2.example.com
Site Name access.example.com (12.12.1.50 or 12.12.1.51 as determined by DNS Server setting)