High Availability RUCKUS IoT Controller

The High Availability (HA) feature for the RUCKUS IoT Controller ensures continuous service by using a Primary Node (active) and a Secondary Node (standby) to automate failover if the active node fails.

Feature Overview

The HA workflow highlights the redundancy and failover mechanisms, emphasizing minimizing downtime and maintaining data integrity by keeping primary and secondary nodes synchronized.

The primary (active) node operates independently in a standalone mode. If the primary node fails or goes down, the secondary (standby) node takes over as the active node. Once the primary node is repaired or recovers from the failure, the system performs a fallback, in which operations are shifted back to the primary node.

If the secondary node fails while in standby, the primary node continues handling requests, but the system enters a critical state. In this situation, if the secondary node is permanently unavailable you can seamlessly add a new secondary node to restore high availability. The new secondary node automatically syncs with the primary node and transitions to a healthy HA state. If the primary node is permanently unrecoverable (due to hardware failure, network issues, or other reasons), the current secondary node can be promoted to take over as the new primary. This ensures the system continues to function without downtime or service interruptions.

To enable the HA feature using the RUCKUS IoT Controller GUI, you must configure a static IP address for the Primary Node and Secondary Node, as well as a Virtual IP (VIP) address.

The VIP is a common IP address shared by the two nodes, which helps external systems, such as access points or vendor systems, communicate with the HA-enabled controller, regardless of which node is active.

    Note:
  • Once the HA feature is enabled, it cannot be disabled.

  • If you upgraded your HA instance to version 3.0.0.0, you must enter the admin password for it to function properly. To do this, navigate to the Admin > HA, and on the HA page, click Update.

  • If the secondary node becomes unrecoverable, add a new secondary node to the HA cluster. Refer to the RUCKUS IoT Controller Software Installation Guide to install a new secondary node. After installation, refer to Adding a New Secondary Node to integrate the new secondary node for HA continuity.

  • If the primary node becomes unrecoverable, promote the current secondary node to primary. Refer to the RUCKUS IoT Controller Software Installation Guide to install a new secondary node, and then refer to Promoting the Secondary Node to Primary to complete the promotion and add the new secondary node to the HA cluster.

Requirements

This feature requires that you have two RUCKUS IoT Controller nodes (one to be configured as the Primary Node, and one to be configured as the Secondary Node). These require separate Core licenses.

Considerations

Once the HA feature is enabled, it cannot be turned off. This requires careful planning before activation.

Best Practices

This feature has no special recommendations for feature enablement or usage.

Prerequisites

To enable the HA feature, ensure the following prerequisites are met:

  • An RTU license is mandatory on the secondary controller to enable HA.
  • The primary and secondary controllers must be in the same subnet and reachable.
  • The primary and secondary controllers must be configured with static IP addresses.
  • The primary and secondary controllers must be running the same version.
  • The primary and secondary controllers must have a synchronized date and time.
  • The primary and secondary controllers must have different host names.
  • The secondary controller services must be started for HA to work.
  • The primary and secondary controller must have same password configured for the user admin.

In this section:

  1. Configuring HA for Redundancy
    The High Availability (HA) configuration maintains system reliability and minimizes downtime by enabling automatic failover to the secondary node when the primary node becomes unavailable, ensuring uninterrupted service.
  2. Adding a New Secondary Node
    This feature allows administrators to add a new secondary node to the HA cluster when the existing secondary node becomes permanently unreachable and the health of HA system is in critical state. It helps restore the cluster's health, ensuring redundancy and reducing the risk of data loss or network outages.
  3. Promoting the Secondary Node to Primary
    This feature allows you to promote the current secondary node to be the primary node. Perform this task when the primary node is unrecoverable.
Parent topic: Managing IoT Controller System Configuration