Set up BIG-IQ in a Manual High Availability Configuration

Setup High Availability for BIG-IQ

How do I configure BIG-IQ systems in a high availability configuration?

Setting up BIG-IQ in a high availability configuration ensures that you always have access to the BIG-IP devices you are managing. In a BIG-IQ high availability configuration, the BIG-IQ system replicates configuration changes since the last synchronization from the primary device to the secondary device every 30 seconds. If it ever becomes necessary, you can have the secondary peer take over management of the BIG-IP devices.

Note:

You can also set up BIG-IQ in an auto failover configuration. For more information, refer to Creating a BIG-IQ High Availability Auto Failover Configuration on support.f5.com.

Add a standby BIG-IQ for a high availability configuration

Before you can set up BIG-IQ in a high availability (HA) configuration, you must have two licensed BIG-IQ systems and you must have added the primary and secondary SSL certificate to the primary BIG-IQ system.

Configuring BIG-IQ in a high availability (HA) pair means that you can still manage your BIG-IP devices even if one BIG-IQ systems fails.

Note: Best practice is to install the active and standby BIG-IQ systems on separate hardware platforms. With this practice, if a hardware issue takes the active BIG-IQ offline, it can failover to the standby BIG-IQ and you can continue managing your BIG-IP devices.

1. At the top of the screen, click System.

2. On the left, click BIG-IQ HA.

3. Click the Add Secondary button.

4. Type the properties for the BIG-IQ system that you are adding.

The BIG-IQ system synchronize. Once they are finished, both appear as ready (green).

Add a standby BIG-IQ for a high availability configuration

Before you can set up BIG-IQ in a high availability (HA) configuration, you must have two licensed BIG-IQ systems and you must have added the primary and secondary SSL certificate to the primary BIG-IQ system.

Configuring BIG-IQ in a high availability (HA) pair means that you can still manage your BIG-IP devices even if one BIG-IQ systems fails.

Note: Best practice is to install the active and standby BIG-IQ systems on separate hardware platforms. With this practice, if a hardware issue takes the active BIG-IQ offline, it can failover to the standby BIG-IQ and you can continue managing your BIG-IP devices.

1. At the top of the screen, click System.

2. On the left, click BIG-IQ HA.

3. Click the Add Secondary button.

4. Type the properties for the BIG-IQ system that you are adding.

The BIG-IQ system synchronize. Once they are finished, both appear as ready (green).

Change a BIG-IQ system in a high availability pair to a standalone system

If the one of your BIG-IQ systems in an HA pair is having any type of system issue, you might want to make it a standalone system until you can fix the problem or until you are finished setting up BIG-IQ again.

1. At the top of the screen, click System.

2. On the left, click BIG-IQ HA.

3. Click the BIG-IQ HA Settings button and then click the Reset to Standalone button.

This BIG-IQ system becomes a standalone system from which you can start managing your devices.

Remove the standby BIG-IQ system from the HA pair

If BIG-IQ is configured in an HA pair, you must remove the standby BIG-IQ system before you upgrade the active BIG-IQ.

1. At the top of the screen, click System.

2. On the left, click BIG-IQ HA.

3. Click Remove Standby.

   A dialog box opens, prompting you to confirm that you want to remove the standby BIG-IQ from this group.

4. Click Remove to confirm that you want to take the standby BIG-IQ from the group.

   The system logs you out of the BIG-IQ while it removes the standby BIG-IQ.

5. Log back in to the active BIG-IQ.

   For a while, both the active and the standby BIG-IQ continue to display. After a few minutes, the screen updates to display a single standalone BIG-IQ.