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Configuring vNIOS Appliances as Grid Masters

Owned by Aliaksei Shautsou (Deactivated)
Last updated: Jan 12, 2022 by Jyothi KP
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After you deploy a NIOS virtual appliance, you can configure it as a single or an HA Grid Master. To configure a NIOS virtual HA Grid Master, deploy two NIOS virtual appliances and define the network settings for each node. The procedure is the same as joining two physical appliances as an HA pair. You must configure a Grid Master and set up the Grid before you join Grid members. For more information about configuring HA pairs, see the Infoblox NIOS documentation.

From NIOS 8.6.x onwards, hybrid HA is supported. A hybrid HA pair can comprise a physical appliance and a virtual appliance, two physical appliances, or two virtual appliances. For more information on limitations of using HA pair combinations, see Limitations of Using a Combination of a Physical Appliance and a Virtual Appliance for HA.

To configure a NIOS virtual appliance as a Grid Master:

  1. Deploy the NIOS virtual appliance.

  2. Specify initial settings on the NIOS virtual appliance, as described in this topic.

  3. Configure the NIOS virtual appliance as a Grid Master or node 1 of a HA Grid Master, as described in the Configuring the NIOS Virtual Appliance as a Grid Master section. For node 2 of the HA Grid Master, follow the procedures to configure node 2.

Specifying Initial Settings on NIOS Virtual Grid Masters

After you successfully install the NIOS virtual appliance and start the appliance, connect to the NIOS CLI and specify the initial settings. For an HA Grid Master, ensure that you specify the initial settings on both nodes.

  1. From the client, select the NIOS virtual instance.

  2. Select the Console tab.

  3. Click anywhere in the console screen to activate the console.

  4. When the Infoblox login prompt appears, log in with the default username and password.
    login: admin
    password: infoblox
    The Infoblox prompt appears: Infoblox >

  5. You must have valid licenses before you can configure the NIOS virtual appliance. To obtain permanent licenses, first use the show version command to obtain the serial number of the NIOS appliance, and then visit the Infoblox Support web site at https://support.infoblox.com. Log in with the user ID and password you receive when you register your product online at: https://www.infoblox.com/support/customer/evaluation-and-registration.
    If the NIOS virtual appliance does not have the Infoblox licenses required to run NIOS services and to join a Grid, you can use the set temp_license command to generate and install a temporary 60-day license. The appliance lists the available licenses, and you select those you need.
    Infoblox > set temp_license
    1. DNSone (DNS, DHCP)
    2. DNSone with Grid (DNS, DHCP, Grid)
    3. Network Services for Voice (DHCP, Grid)
    4. Add NIOS License
    5. Add DNS Server license
    6. Add DHCP Server license
    7. Add Grid license
    8. Add Microsoft management license
    9. Add Multi-Grid Management license
    10. Add Query Redirection license
    11. Add Threat Protection (Software add-on) license
    12. Add Threat Protection Update license
    13. Add Response Policy Zones license
    14. Add FireEye license
    15. Add DNS Traffic Control license
    16. Add Cloud Network Automation license
    17. Add Security Ecosystem license
    18. Add Threat Analytics license
    19. Add Flex Grid Activation license
    20. Add Flex Grid Activation for Managed Services license
    Select license (1-20) or q to quit:

    Note that you must have both the Grid and NIOS virtual licenses for the NIOS virtual appliance to join a Grid.
    For more information about the supported license types and procedures to acquire, install, and manage licenses, refer to the license-specific topics in the Infoblox NIOS Documentation.

  6. Use the CLI command set network to configure the network settings. 
    Infoblox > set network
    NOTICE: All HA configurations are performed from the GUI. This interface is used only to
    configure a standalone node or to join a Grid.
    Enter IP address: 10.1.1.22
    Enter netmask: [Default: 255.255.255.0]: 255.255.255.0
    Enter gateway address [Default: 10.1.1.1]: 10.1.1.1
    Become Grid member? (y or n): n

Configuring the NIOS Virtual Appliance as a Grid Master

You configure the NIOS virtual appliance as a Grid Master using the Grid Setup wizard. If you are configuring a NIOS virtual HA Grid Master, you complete the configuration for each virtual node in the HA pair as described in this section.

To configure the single Grid Master or node 1 of the HA Grid Master:

  1. On your management system, open a new browser window, and connect to https://ip_addr, where ip_addr is the address of the single appliance or LAN1 port on node 1.

  2. Log in to Infoblox Grid Manager using the default username admin and password infoblox.

  3. Read the Infoblox End-User License Agreement and click I Accept.

  4. In the Grid Setup wizard, select Configure a Grid Master and click Next.

  5. Complete the following to specify the Grid properties, and then click Next:

    • Grid Name: Enter a text string, such as DaveyJones, that the Grid Master and appliances joining the Grid use to authenticate each other when establishing a VPN tunnel between them. The default Grid name is Infoblox.

    • Shared Secret: Enter a text string, such as L0ck37, that the Grid Master and appliances joining the Grid use as a shared secret to authenticate each other when establishing a VPN tunnel between them. The default shared secret is test.

    • Show Password: Select this to display the password. Clear the check box to conceal the password.

    • Hostname: Enter a valid domain name for the appliance. You can use the name that you entered for the NIOS virtual appliance when you deployed it.

    • Is the Grid Master an HA pair?: Select No for the single Grid Master. Select Yes for an HA pair.

  6. Complete the following to configure the network settings, and then click Next:

    • Host Name: Enter a valid domain name for the appliance.

    • IP Address: Displays the IP address of the LAN port.

    • Subnet Mask: Displays the subnet mask of the LAN port.

    • Gateway: Displays the IP address of the gateway of the subnet on which the LAN port is set.

    • Port Settings: The default is Automatic. You cannot change port settings for NIOS virtual appliances.

  7. For an HA pair, complete the following to specify the network properties and click Next:

    • Virtual Router ID: Enter the VRID (virtual router ID). This must be a unique VRID number—from 1 to 255—for this subnet.

    • Required Ports and Addresses: Enter information about the following virtual interfaces: VIP, Node 1 HA and LAN ports, Node 2 HA and LAN ports. The VIP address and the IP addresses for all the ports must be in the same subnet. Enter the IP address of the gateway for the subnet on which the interfaces are set. This is the same for all interfaces. All fields are required. Note that you cannot change the port settings.

  8. Optionally, enter a new password and click Next. The password must be a single alphanumeric string (no spaces) that is at least four characters long.

  9. Select the time zone of the Grid Master and indicate whether the Grid Master synchronizes its time with an NTP (Network Time Protocol) server, and then click Next.

    • If you choose to enable NTP, click the Add icon and enter the IP address of an NTP server. You can enter IP addresses for multiple NTP servers.

    • If you choose to disable NTP, set the date and time for the appliance.

  10. The last screen displays the settings you specified in the previous panels of the wizard. Verify that the information is correct and click Finish. The appliance restarts after you click Finish.
    Note: The Grid Setup wizard provides options such as not changing the default password and manually entering the time and date. However, changing the password and using an NTP server improve security and accuracy (respectively), and so these choices are presented here.
    Record and retain this information in a safe place. If you forget the shared secret, you need to contact Infoblox Technical Support for help. When you add an appliance to the Grid, you must configure it with the same Grid name, shared secret, and VPN port number that you configure on the Grid Master.

For an HA pair, complete the following to configure node 2 using the Grid Setup wizard:

  1. On your management system, open a browser window, and connect to https://ip_addr, where ip_addr is the address of the LAN1 port on node 2.

  2. Log in using the default username and password, admin and infoblox.

  3. Read the Infoblox End-User License Agreement and click I Accept.

  4. In the Grid Setup wizard, select Join Existing Grid and click Next.

  5. Specify the following Grid properties and click Next:

    • Grid Name: the Grid name you entered for node 1.

    • Grid Master's IP Address: the VIP you entered for node 1.

    • Shared Secret: the shared secret you entered for node 1.

  6. Verify the IP address settings of the member and click Next.

  7. The last screen displays the settings you specified in the previous panels of the wizard. Verify that the information is correct, and then click Finish.

The setup of the HA Grid Master is complete. Node 1 and node 2 are joined in a span of few seconds. If they do not join, then check the IP addresses of Node 1 LAN and Node 1 HA (the Grid Master), and for Node 2 LAN and Node 2 HA (the node attempting to join the Grid Master to form the HA pair). Ensure that the network IP address of node 2 is set to the same value as Node 2 LAN on the Grid Master.
To verify the communication, open the console window for node 2. The following messages are displayed:
Contacting the Grid Master at 10.36.0.200....
Synchronizing database with the Grid Master....

For more information about HA pair configurations, see the Infoblox NIOS documentation.