{bb} failover configuration

[steve sayler <Steve.Sayler@noaa.gov>]

Hello brother(s) and sister(s);

I'm setting up my server(s) for failover. While looking back through the archives, I see to see a mix of various documentation on failover configuration. While I'm setting up my server(s) initially, I'm trying to document everything (an ambitious idea, heh?). I'd like your feedback on my document detailing the Big Brother failover configuration. Here it is:

Big Brother Failover:

The Big Brother 'failover' service watches bb variables;  BBNET and BBPAGER.  Big Brother BBNET is the Big Brother Network monitoring machine/server, and BBPAGER is the machine/server that handles notifications. A failover occurs whenever either the primary BBNET or BBPAGER server become unavailable. The alternate/failover machine takes over until the primary machine/server become available.

Configuration:

1). Add failover to the BBEXT variable in etc/bbdef.sh on the failover server.

Change BBEXT="" to BBEXT="failover" on the failover server.

2). Define both the primary and failover machines as BBPAGERS in etc/bb-hosts

primary's etc/bb-hosts:
xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx primary # BBPAGER BBNET BBDISPLAY
yyy.yyy.yyy.yyy failover # BBPAGER

failover's etc/bb-hosts (note: all machines should have identical etc/bb-host files):
xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx primary # BBPAGER BBNET BBDISPLAY
yyy.yyy.yyy.yyy failover # BBPAGER

BBNET failover is automatic when we can't reach the BBNET machine. BBNET should only be defined ONCE in the bb-hosts file, and should not be defined on the failover machine. However, if the BBNET machine is also your primary BBPAGER, then it best to have BBNET failover when BBPAGER failsover. This is our case.

3). It is useful to detect the situation when the BBNET machine is still reachable but BBNET isn't working because someone turned BB off... To enable this behavior, uncomment the following line in ext/failover on the failover machine:

# FAILOVERBOTH=TRUE         # FAILOVER BBNET WITH BBPAGER

Thanks in advance,
steve


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