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Adding Master Grid Members

Owned by Panna .
Oct 03, 2024
7 min read

You can add single appliances and HA pairs to a Master Grid, forming single members and HA members respectively. You can configure Master Grid members in either IPv4 or dual mode (IPv4 and IPv6). New members inherit all settings that you set at the Master Grid level unless you override them at the member level. Master Grid members automatically become Multi-Grid Master candidates and do not run protocols, such as DNS and DHCP. Note that appliances you configure as Master Grid members must have the Multi-Grid management license installed.
The process for adding either a single appliance or HA pair to a Master Grid involves the following steps:

  1. Configuring the member on the Multi-Grid Master.
  2. Joining the appliance or HA pair to the Master Grid. This includes defining the VIP or IP address of the Multi-Grid Master, the Master Grid name, and the shared secret on the single appliance or HA pair. If an appliance or HA pair cannot join the Master Grid because of MTU (maximum transmission unit) limitations on its network link, you can reduce the MTU that the master uses when communicating with it. See /wiki/spaces/mgmadminguide/pages/911181917.

When an appliance joins a Master Grid, the Multi-Grid Master checks if the platform type supports the same number of Grids than those that are currently managed by the Master Grid. If the platform type supports less, the member is rejected. Because all Master Grid members are Master candidates, data replication occurs automatically after a member joins the Master Grid.

Note: An appliance or an HA pair that joins a Master Grid, automatically becomes a Multi-Grid Master candidate and you cannot disable the appliance from being a Master candidate. In such case, you cannot change the type of network connectivity for both Master Grid and Grid member.

Configuring a Member on the Multi-Grid Master

  1. From the Master Grid tab, select the Members tab.
  2. Expand the Toolbar and click Add -> Master Grid Member.
    • Member Type: Specify the appliance type of the member. If the member is an Infoblox appliance, select Infoblox, which is the default. If the member is a NIOS virtual appliance, select Virtual NIOS.
    • Host Name: Type the FQDN (fully qualified domain name) of the appliance that you are adding to the Master Grid.
    • Time Zone: If the member is in a different time zone from the Master Grid, click Override and select a time zone.
    • Comment: Type a comment that provides some useful information about the appliance, such as its location.
    • Multi-Grid Master Candidate: This checkbox is selected by default and is not configurable.
  3. Enter the following information about the member that you are adding to the Master Grid and click Next:
    • Type of Network Connectivity: Select the type of network connectivity for the member from the drop-down list:
      • IPv4 and IPv6: Select this to configure a dual mode member.
      • IPv4: Select this to configure an IPv4 member.
    • Standalone Member: Select this checkbox if the member is a single appliance.
    • High Availability Pair: Select this checkbox if the member is an HA pair.
      • Virtual Router ID: Enter a unique VRID number—from 1 to 255—for the local subnet.
      • Send HA and Grid Communication over: This field is displayed only when you are configuring a dual mode HA member. Select either IPv4 or IPv6 as the communication protocol for VRRP advertisements and for joining the Master Grid.
    • Required Ports and Addresses: This table lists the network interfaces based on the type of network connectivity. For IPv4 member, specify the network information for LAN1 (IPv4) port and for a dual mode member, specify the network information for both LAN1 (IPv4) and LAN1 (IPv6).
      For IPv4 HA member, specify the network information for VIP (IPv4), Node1 HA (IPv4), Node2 HA (IPv4), Node1 LAN1 (IPv4), and Node2 LAN1 (IPv4) interfaces.
      For a dual mode HA member, if you select IPv4 in the Send HA and Grid Communication over field, specify the network information for the following interfaces: VIP (IPv4), Node1 HA (IPv4), Node1 LAN1 (IPv4), Node2 HA (IPv4), Node2 LAN1 (IPv4), VIP (IPv6), Node1 LAN1 (IPv6), and Node2 LAN1 (IPv6) interfaces.
      For a dual mode HA member, if you select IPv6 in the Send HA and Grid Communication over field, specify the network information for the following interfaces: VIP (IPv4), Node1 LAN1 (IPv4), Node2 LAN1 (IPv4), VIP (IPv6), Node1 LAN1 (IPv6), and Node2 LAN1 (IPv6) ports.
      The VIP address and the IP addresses for all the ports must be in the same subnet.
      • Interface: Displays the name of the interface. You cannot modify this.
      • Address: Type the IPv4 or IPv6 address depending on the type of interface. An IPv6 address is a 128-bit number in colon hexadecimal notation. It consists of eight 16-bit groups of hexadecimal digits separated by colons (example: 2001:db8:0000:0123:4567:89ab:0000:cdef or 2001:db8::123:4567:89ab:0:cdef).
      • Subnet Mask (IPv4) or Prefix Length (IPv6): Specify an appropriate subnet mask for IPv4 address or prefix length for IPv6 address. The prefix length ranges from 2 to 127.
      • Gateway: Type the IPv4 or IPv6 address of the default gateway depending on the type of interface. For IPv6 interface, you can also type Automatic to enable the appliance to acquire the IPv6 address of the default gateway and the link MTU from router advertisements.
      • VLAN Tag: For a VLAN, enter the VLAN tag or ID. You can enter a number from 1 to 4094. Ensure that you configure the corresponding switch accordingly.
      • Port Settings: From the drop-down list, choose the connection speed that you want the port to use. You can also choose the duplex setting. Choose Full for concurrent bidirectional data transmission or Half for data transmission in one direction at a time. Select Automatic to instruct the NIOS appliance to negotiate the optimum port connection type (full or half duplex) and speed with the connecting switch automatically. This is the default setting. You cannot configure port settings for vNIOS appliances. For information, see /wiki/spaces/mgmadminguide/pages/911183794.
      • DSCP Value: Displays the Grid DSCP value, if configured. To modify, click Override and enter the DSCP value. You can enter a value from 0 to 63.
  4. Optionally, define extensible attributes. For information, see /wiki/spaces/mgmadminguide/pages/911183727.
  5. Save the configuration.

The communication protocol for all the services in a dual mode (IPv4 and IPv6) Master Grid member is set to IPv4, by default. But for a dual mode (IPv4 and IPv6) HA member, the communication protocol is the same as the one that is used for VRRP advertisements. For example, if you select IPv4 in the Send HA and Grid Communications over field in step 2 of the Add Grid Member wizard, then IPv4 is set as the communication protocol for all the services. However, you can override the communication protocol for all the services in a dual mode member. For information see, 19282607.
Changing the Communication Protocol for a Dual Mode Member
You can change the default communication protocol for a dual mode Master Grid member. You can force the Master Grid member to use a specific protocol to join the Master Grid and for the reporting services. But for services with two types of resolution (A and AAAA records), you can set the preferred communication protocol.
To change the communication protocol for a dual mode member:

  1. From the Master Grid tab, select the Members tab -> member checkbox -> Edit icon.
  2. In the Master Grid Member Properties editor, select the Network tab -> Basic tab, and then complete the following:
    • Communication Protocol Settings and Preferences: Select either IPv4 or IPv6 from the drop-down list. This setting will force the member to use the specified protocol for Grid and reporting services and this is the preferred protocol for services with two types of resolution (A and AAAA records).
    • Customized Settings: Select this and do the following:
      • Always use this Communications Protocol for: For a Master Grid, you can select either IPv4 or IPv6 from the Reporting drop-down list. This setting will force the Master Grid to use the specified communication protocol for reporting service. For a member, you can select either IPv4 or IPv6 from the Grid and Reporting drop-down list. This setting will force the member to use the specified communication protocol for Grid and reporting service.
      • Always Prefer this Communications Protocol for: This field lists the services which has two types of resolution (A and AAAA records). Select either IPv4 or IPv6 from the drop-down list for the service which you want the appliance to use this as the preferred communication protocol. The appliance uses the preferred protocol first for the service.

Joining a Master Grid

Grid members can join the Master Grid using IPv4 protocol in an IPv4-only Grid and in a dual mode Grid, the Grid members may join the Master Grid using IPv4 or IPv6. You can use the Grid Setup Wizard or access the Join Grid dialog box to join appliances to a Grid. The Grid Setup Wizard launches when you first log in to an appliance.
To join a single appliance or an HA pair to a Master Grid:

  1. Log in to the appliance or HA pair that you want to add to the Master Grid. The appliance or HA pair must be online and able to reach the Multi-Grid Master.
  2. From the Grid tab, select the Grid Manager tab -> Members tab.
  3. Expand the Toolbar and click Join Grid.
  4. In the Join Grid dialog box, enter the following:
    • Virtual IP of Grid Master: Type the VIP address of the HA Multi-Grid Master or the LAN address of the single Multi-Grid Master.
    • Grid Name: Type the name of the Master Grid.
    • Grid Shared Secret: Type the shared secret of the Master Grid.
    • Use MGMT port to join Grid: If you have already enabled the MGMT port, this option becomes available.
      Select it to connect to the Grid through the MGMT port.
  5. Click OK to begin the join operation.

To confirm that the appliance has successfully joined the Master Grid, log in to the Multi-Grid Master and navigate to the Master Grid tab-> Members tab. This panel lists the Master Grid members. Check the icon in the Status column of the newly added member. (green = the appliance has joined the Master Grid and is functioning properly; yellow = the appliance is in the process of joining the Master Grid; red = the appliance has not joined the Master Grid). You can also use the CLI command set membership to join an appliance to a Master Grid.