High Availability Setup Guide
Step-by-step instructions on how to configure a High Availability setup with Peplink routers.
How High Availability Works
SD-WAN solutions address failover and outages from ISPs and mitigate latency and lost packets, but what about guarding against hardware failure? High Availability will help maintain network uptime even in the event of a failed router.
In a High Availability setup, two routers are set up in a Master/Slave relationship sometimes referred to as Active/Passive. Here, both routers are configured, powered, and connected to both the LAN network and the WAN source(s). The two routers communicate over the LAN network and if the Master fails, the Slave assumes the Master (Active) role. The transition does not require any intervention and the underlying issue with the Master can be addressed while the Slave router is running the network.
Can you afford High Availability?
Network connectivity is critical in today’s online world and is responsible for far more than it ever has been, from Payment processing, accessing cloud resources, making a phone call, and even emergency services. What would no internet mean for you or your customers’ business? The true question may be if you can afford not to have High Availability. The key is only paying for it once by planning ahead.
While implementing redundancy may seem like an additional investment, it can ultimately lead to cost savings. Downtime resulting from network failures can have severe financial implications, including lost productivity, revenue, and customer trust. Redundancy helps organizations avoid these costs by maintaining continuous operations even in the face of unexpected events.
Alternatives to High Availability
If a full High Availability setup isn’t ideal or feasible, an alternative is to keep a cold spare. This involves having a second router available to plug in and begin using if needed. Ideally this is the same model as your existing router so that you can load the configuration from the failed router to the replacement and be up and running again with minimal downtime. For deployments where there may be many smaller devices like in taxis or for remote workers, this option may be reasonable and budget friendly. If you have a few hundred devices, you don’t need to have a cold spare for each router, but keeping a handful for replacements as needed can be plenty sufficient and reasonable.
High Availability or Not, Be Prepared
No matter your approach to redundancy, in today’s connected world, having a plan is critical. By making the investment up front, you’ll protect your network and everything that it supports not only from ISP interruptions, but from hardware failures as well.
Take advantage of High Availability with Peplink
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