To configure LoadMaster for HA, follow the steps outlined in the sections below:

  1. If the LoadMaster does not have a public address itself and you are going through the Internal Load Balancer (ILB), you can access the WUI of the LoadMaster which is the active unit:
    1. Access the WUI of active LoadMaster by going to https://<DNSNameURL>:8441.
    2. Access the WUI of the standby LoadMaster by going to https://<DNSNameURL>:8442.
    3. The default username is bal and the password is the password entered during the creation of the LoadMaster.
  2. In the main menu, go to System Configuration > Azure HA Parameters.

  3. Select First HA Mode in the Azure HA Mode drop-down list.
  4. Select the desired option in the Switch to Preferred Server drop-down list:
    • No Preferred Host: Each unit takes over when the other unit fails. No switchover is performed when the partner is restarted.
    • Prefer First: The HA1 (active) unit always takes over. This is the default option.
  5. Enter the internal address of the standby LoadMaster unit in the Partner Name/IP text box and click Set Partner Name/IP.
  6. Enter 8444 as the Health Check Port and click Set Check Port.
    Note: The Health Check Port must be set to 8444 on both the active and standby units for HA to function correctly.
  7. If using a multi-arm configuration, select the Health Check on All Interfaces check box.
    Note: If this option is disabled, the health check listens on the primary eth0 address.
  8. Then, access the WUI of the standby unit. Complete the following steps in the standby unit, but select Second HA Mode as the Azure HA Mode instead: In the main menu, go to System Configuration > HA and Clustering. to Enter the Partner Name/IP address of the slave LoadMaster unit and click Set Partner Name/IP.
    Note: HA will not work if both units have the same value selected for the Azure HA Mode.
  9. After configuring both LoadMasters, reboot both units (System Configuration > System Administration > System Reboot > Reboot).

When HA is enabled on both devices, changes made to the Virtual Services in the active unit is replicated to the standby.

If a unit is in standby mode, WUI access is restricted to Local Administration only. Full WUI access is available if the unit is in an active or unchecked state.

You can tell, at a glance, which unit is active, and which is the standby, by checking the mode in the top bar of the LoadMaster.

The current status of each LoadMaster, when HA is enabled, is shown as follows:

Status Description
This is the first LoadMaster and it is currently active.
This is the second LoadMaster and it is currently active.
This is the second unit and it is currently the standby unit.