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<section id="how-to-set-up-a-highly-available-virtual-ip-for-clusters">
<span id="howto-cluster-vip"></span><h1>How to set up a highly available virtual IP for clusters<a class="headerlink" href="#how-to-set-up-a-highly-available-virtual-ip-for-clusters" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h1>
<p>This page describes how to enhance the high availability (HA) of the control plane for a LXD cluster, through setting up a virtual IP (VIP) as a single access point.</p>
<p>By <a class="reference internal" href="../server_expose/#server-expose"><span class="std std-ref">exposing cluster members to the network</span></a> and configuring them as <a class="reference internal" href="../../remotes/#remotes"><span class="std std-ref">remote servers</span></a> on a client machine, you can control the cluster over the network. This provides high availability: if one cluster member becomes unavailable, you can access the cluster through another.</p>
<p>You can enhance HA by adding a routing service that uses the Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) to configure a single VIP as the access point for the cluster. While the implementation differs, the concept is similar to a floating IP in cloud platforms.</p>
<p>For more information about HA in LXD clusters, including both the control and data planes, see: <a class="reference internal" href="../../explanation/clusters/#clusters-high-availability"><span class="std std-ref">High availability</span></a>.</p>
<section id="use-keepalived">
<span id="howto-cluster-vip-keepalived"></span><h2>Use Keepalived<a class="headerlink" href="#use-keepalived" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>While VRRP is implemented by various tools, <a class="reference external" href="https://keepalived.org/doc/"><strong>Keepalived</strong></a> is the most commonly used implementation in Linux environments. The VIP configured with Keepalived is only active on one cluster member at a given time (called the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">MASTER</span></code>), and Keepalived performs regular checks to reassign the VIP to another member (a <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">BACKUP</span></code>) if the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">MASTER</span></code> fails to respond.</p>
<p>To install Keepalived, run the following commands on each cluster member:</p>
<div class="highlight-bash notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span>sudo<span class="w"> </span>apt<span class="w"> </span>update
sudo<span class="w"> </span>apt<span class="w"> </span>-y<span class="w"> </span>install<span class="w"> </span>keepalived<span class="w"> </span>--no-install-recommends
</pre></div>
</div>
<div class="admonition tip">
<p class="admonition-title">Tip</p>
<p>The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">--no-install-recommends</span></code> flag prevents <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">apt</span></code> from installing the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ipvsadm</span></code> package, which is only needed if you’re using <a class="reference internal" href="#howto-cluster-vip-load-balancing"><span class="std std-ref">the IPVS load balancing feature</span></a> of Keepalived. If you intend to use this feature, run the above command without <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">--no-install-recommends</span></code>.</p>
</div>
<p>The configuration file for Keepalived is typically stored at <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">/etc/keepalived/keepalived.conf</span></code>. You must create a configuration file for each cluster member, with one member set with <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">state</span> <span class="pre">MASTER</span></code> and the rest with <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">state</span> <span class="pre">BACKUP</span></code>.</p>
<section id="example-minimal-configuration">
<span id="howto-cluster-vip-keepalived-example-config"></span><h3>Example minimal configuration<a class="headerlink" href="#example-minimal-configuration" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h3>
<p>Example of a minimal Keepalived configuration for three LXD cluster members (<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">m1</span></code>, <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">m2</span></code>, and <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">m3</span></code>):</p>
<div class="literal-block-wrapper docutils container" id="id1">
<div class="code-block-caption"><span class="caption-text"><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">keepalived.conf</span></code> on m1</span><a class="headerlink" href="#id1" title="Link to this code">¶</a></div>
<div class="highlight-default notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="n">vrrp_instance</span> <span class="n">VI_1</span> <span class="p">{</span>
<span class="n">state</span> <span class="n">MASTER</span>
<span class="n">interface</span> <span class="n">enp5s0</span>
<span class="n">virtual_router_id</span> <span class="mi">41</span>
<span class="n">priority</span> <span class="mi">200</span>
<span class="n">advert_int</span> <span class="mi">1</span>
<span class="n">virtual_ipaddress</span> <span class="p">{</span>
<span class="mf">192.0.2.50</span><span class="o">/</span><span class="mi">24</span>
<span class="p">}</span>
<span class="p">}</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="literal-block-wrapper docutils container" id="id2">
<div class="code-block-caption"><span class="caption-text"><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">keepalived.conf</span></code> on m2 and m3</span><a class="headerlink" href="#id2" title="Link to this code">¶</a></div>
<div class="highlight-default notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="n">vrrp_instance</span> <span class="n">VI_1</span> <span class="p">{</span>
<span class="n">state</span> <span class="n">BACKUP</span>
<span class="n">interface</span> <span class="n">enp5s0</span>
<span class="n">virtual_router_id</span> <span class="mi">41</span>
<span class="n">priority</span> <span class="mi">100</span>
<span class="n">advert_int</span> <span class="mi">1</span>
<span class="n">virtual_ipaddress</span> <span class="p">{</span>
<span class="mf">192.0.2.50</span><span class="o">/</span><span class="mi">24</span>
<span class="p">}</span>
<span class="p">}</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
</div>
<p>Restart the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">keepalived</span></code> service on each cluster member after creating or editing its configuration file:</p>
<div class="highlight-bash notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span>sudo<span class="w"> </span>systemctl<span class="w"> </span>restart<span class="w"> </span>keepalived
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>On <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">m1</span></code> (the cluster member designated as <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">MASTER</span></code>), run the following command, using the interface you configured in <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">keepalived.conf</span></code>:</p>
<div class="terminal docutils container">
<div class="input docutils container">
<div class="prompt docutils container">
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ubuntu@m1:~$</span> </code></div>
<span class="command"><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ip</span> <span class="pre">-br</span> <span class="pre">addr</span> <span class="pre">show</span> <span class="pre"><interface></span>
</code></span></div>
</div>
<p>Confirm that in the output, you can see the VIP as an IP address of the interface.</p>
</section>
<section id="test-the-example-configuration">
<span id="howto-cluster-vip-keepalived-example-test"></span><h3>Test the example configuration<a class="headerlink" href="#test-the-example-configuration" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h3>
<p>This section describes how to conduct a basic test of the example Keepalived configuration, using the CLI.</p>
<p>First, <a class="reference internal" href="../instances_create/#instances-create"><span class="std std-ref">create a container</span></a> on each of the cluster members. This can be performed from any of the cluster members, using the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">--target</span></code> flag. Example:</p>
<div class="terminal docutils container">
<div class="input docutils container">
<div class="prompt docutils container">
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ubuntu@m1:~$</span> </code></div>
<span class="command"><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">lxc</span> <span class="pre">init</span> <span class="pre">ubuntu:24.04</span> <span class="pre">c1</span> <span class="pre">--target</span> <span class="pre">m1</span>
</code></span></div>
<div class="terminal-code highlight-text notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span>Creating c1
</pre></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="terminal docutils container">
<div class="input docutils container">
<div class="prompt docutils container">
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ubuntu@m1:~$</span> </code></div>
<span class="command"><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">lxc</span> <span class="pre">init</span> <span class="pre">ubuntu:24.04</span> <span class="pre">c2</span> <span class="pre">--target</span> <span class="pre">m2</span>
</code></span></div>
<div class="terminal-code highlight-text notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span>Creating c2
</pre></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="terminal docutils container">
<div class="input docutils container">
<div class="prompt docutils container">
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ubuntu@m1:~$</span> </code></div>
<span class="command"><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">lxc</span> <span class="pre">init</span> <span class="pre">ubuntu:24.04</span> <span class="pre">c3</span> <span class="pre">--target</span> <span class="pre">m3</span>
</code></span></div>
<div class="terminal-code highlight-text notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span>Creating c3
</pre></div>
</div>
</div>
<p>Run the following command from any cluster member to list the created instances:</p>
<div class="highlight-bash notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span>lxc<span class="w"> </span>list
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>Confirm that the containers each exist on a different cluster member.</p>
<p>Next, you need a client LXD server that can access the network used by the cluster for external connectivity. On it, add the VIP as a <a class="reference internal" href="../../remotes/#remotes"><span class="std std-ref">remote server</span></a>:</p>
<div class="terminal docutils container">
<div class="input docutils container">
<div class="prompt docutils container">
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ubuntu@my-client:~$</span> </code></div>
<span class="command"><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">lxc</span> <span class="pre">remote</span> <span class="pre">add</span> <span class="pre">my-cluster</span> <span class="pre">192.0.2.50</span>
</code></span></div>
</div>
<p>Then check the list of instances running on the cluster from the client machine. Example:</p>
<div class="terminal docutils container">
<div class="input docutils container">
<div class="prompt docutils container">
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ubuntu@my-client:~$</span> </code></div>
<span class="command"><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">lxc</span> <span class="pre">list</span> <span class="pre">my-cluster:</span>
</code></span></div>
</div>
<p>The output shown should match what you see when you run <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">lxc</span> <span class="pre">list</span></code> on any of the cluster members.</p>
<p>Finally, take the cluster member configured as the Keepalived <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">MASTER</span></code> offline so that it is no longer reachable. This should cause Keepalived to automatically move the VIP to one of the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">BACKUP</span></code> servers.</p>
<p>From the client server, list the instances running on the cluster once more, using the same command as before. You should see the same list as before, with the exception that the container running on the offline cluster member now displays an <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ERROR</span></code> state. This confirms that you can still run remote commands on the client, meaning that Keepalived has reassigned the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">MASTER</span></code> role to another cluster member.</p>
<section id="configuration-keys">
<span id="howto-cluster-vip-keepalived-example-config-keys"></span><h4>Configuration keys<a class="headerlink" href="#configuration-keys" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h4>
<p>In this section, we provide brief descriptions of the configuration keys used in this guide. Keep in mind that our example minimal configuration does not include authentication and other settings that might be relevant in production. For full configuration details, refer to the <a class="reference external" href="https://keepalived.org/doc/configuration_synopsis.html">official Keepalived documentation</a>.</p>
<dl class="simple myst">
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">state</span></code>:</dt><dd><p>Only one cluster member can be designated the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">MASTER</span></code> state. The rest must be set as <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">BACKUP</span></code>.</p>
</dd>
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">interface</span></code></dt><dd><p>This is the interface that carries the subnet used for client access to the cluster. On clusters using OVN networking, this is the uplink network.</p>
</dd>
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">virtual_router_id</span></code></dt><dd><p>The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">virtual_router_id</span></code> must be the same in all cluster members. This assigns the cluster members to the same virtual router.</p>
</dd>
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">priority</span></code></dt><dd><p>This determines the order in which the VIP is allocated to a cluster member. The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">MASTER</span></code> must always have a higher priority number than any <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">BACKUP</span></code>. The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">BACKUP</span></code> servers can use the same number to let Keepalived choose the priority, or you can set a specific priority for each server.</p>
</dd>
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">advert_int</span></code></dt><dd><p>The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">advert_int</span></code> key sets the <strong>advertisement internal</strong> (in seconds). The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">MASTER</span></code> sends VRRP advertisements at this interval to tell <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">BACKUP</span></code> servers that it’s online. The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">BACKUP</span></code> servers assume that the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">MASTER</span></code> is offline if it stops sending these.</p>
</dd>
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">virtual_ipaddress</span></code></dt><dd><p>This is the VIP exposed for access to the cluster. Select an unused IP from the subnet used for external access by the cluster. It must be identical on all cluster members.</p>
</dd>
</dl>
</section>
</section>
</section>
<section id="load-balancing">
<span id="howto-cluster-vip-load-balancing"></span><h2>Load balancing<a class="headerlink" href="#load-balancing" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>Using a VIP to route requests to a single cluster member can cause high load on that machine. Keepalived also provides a framework for load balancing, using the Linux Virtual Server (IPVS) kernel module. For details, see the <a class="reference external" href="https://keepalived.org/doc/">Keepalived documentation</a>.</p>
<p>Alternatively, consider combining Keepalived with an implementation of <a class="reference external" href="https://www.haproxy.org/">HAProxy</a>. HAProxy is a reverse proxy that can redirect traffic for both TCP and HTTP protocols, which means that it can handle load balancing both API and UI traffic for LXD clusters.</p>
<p>HAProxy can also support the use of ACME (Automatic Certificate Management Environment) services such as <a class="reference external" href="https://letsencrypt.org/">Let’s Encrypt</a> to automate renewing certificates for UI access. For details, see: <a class="reference internal" href="../../authentication/#authentication-server-certificate"><span class="std std-ref">TLS server certificate</span></a>.</p>
</section>
<section id="related-topics">
<h2>Related topics<a class="headerlink" href="#related-topics" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>How-to guides:</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="../../clustering/#clustering"><span class="std std-ref">Clustering</span></a></p></li>
</ul>
<p>Reference:</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/cluster_member_config/#cluster-member-config"><span class="std std-ref">Cluster member configuration</span></a></p></li>
</ul>
<p>Explanation:</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="../../explanation/clusters/#exp-clusters"><span class="std std-ref">Clusters</span></a></p></li>
</ul>
</section>
</section>
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Contents
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<ul>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#">How to set up a highly available virtual IP for clusters</a><ul>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#use-keepalived">Use Keepalived</a><ul>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#example-minimal-configuration">Example minimal configuration</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#test-the-example-configuration">Test the example configuration</a><ul>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#configuration-keys">Configuration keys</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#load-balancing">Load balancing</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#related-topics">Related topics</a></li>
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