Introduces Data Gateway pool operations for managing logical groups of Crosswork Data Gateway instances that support scalable data collection, high availability, automatic failover, and balanced data ingestion in large-scale or mission-critical environments.
Crosswork Data Gateway pools are essential for ensuring scalable, resilient, and efficient network data collection in enterprise environments. The primary use case is to group multiple Crosswork Data Gateway instances into logical pools, which enables high availability, automatic failover, and balanced data ingestion for large-scale or mission-critical operations. You can use these operations to interact with pools:
Use this procedure to create a Data Gateway pool, which groups Data Gateway instances for data collection and enables their configuration for various network environments.
A Data Gateway pool is a group of Data Gateway instances configured for data collection in different network environments. This procedure guides users through creating a pool, choosing its type, entering configuration parameters, and assigning instances, with references to prerequisites and parameter details as needed.
Complete these steps to create a Data Gateway pool.
Procedure
1.
Navigate to the Administration > Data Gateway Management > Pools tab.
2.
Click and select one of the options:
VIP-based
FQDN-based
3.
In the Pool parameters pane, enter the required pool parameters. For a list of parameters, see Pool parameters.
Figure 1. VIP-based pool for single stack deployment
4.
(Optional) Specify both the VIP IPv4 and IPv6 addresses when creating a pool for a dual-stack deployment.
Figure 2. VIP-based pool for dual-stack deployment
Figure 3. FQDN-based pool
5.
Add the required Data Gateway instances. Based on your selection, IPv4, IPv6, both, or FQDN, enter a virtual IP address or FQDN for each active Data Gateway instance.
6.
In the Assign data gateway instance(s) pane, select the Data Gateway instances from Unassigned data gateway instance(s). Click the right arrow to assign the instances to Assigned data gateway instance(s).
7.
Click Save.
What to do next
In Amazon EC2, after a pool is created, make sure that the NLB is in a healthy state for the active Data Gateway.
Requirements to create a Data Gateway pool
Best practice for Data Gateway pool creation
Before you create a Data Gateway pool, adhere to these requirements.
Install at least one Data Gateway instance for basic operation, or two for high availability.
Determine the number of Data Gateway instances based on your network needs. If you need assistance, contact the Cisco Customer Experience team.
Register at least one Data Gateway with Crosswork Network Controller. The operational state of the Data Gateway should be NOT_READY.
To achieve high availability, deploy multiple Data Gateway instances.
Distribute Data Gateway instances in each pool to minimize risks from Crosswork or site failure.
Gather the required network information: one virtual IP for each active Data Gateway, the subnet mask, and Data Gateway details.
For a 3-NIC deployment, provide the Data Gateway address for network device access.
For 2-NIC deployment, use an additional IP on the Data Network as the virtual IP. For 3-NIC deployment, use the Southbound Network IP as the virtual IP.
Enable secure syslog communication using syslog certificates that contain the hostname or FQDN instead of the virtual IP. If using FQDNs for virtual IPs, configure them in your DNS server before pool creation.
FQDNs for newly added virtual IP(s) will be fetched after you save the pool. The syslog certificate will then contain the FQDN in the CN and SAN instead of the virtual IP address of the Data Gateway. For details on how to configure secure syslog on devices, see Configuring syslog on devices.
FQDN and DNS requirements
Decide if you wish to enable FQDN for virtual IP(s) addresses in the pool. If yes, ensure that you have configured FQDN for virtual IP(s) in the DNS server to create the pool successfully.
Pool setup configuration options
We recommend that you gain an understanding of these UI controls to make informed selections when creating a pool.
Pool types.
VIP-based: The network devices connect to Data Gateway instances that are part of a HA pool that is located on a single IP subnet. The subnet can be either intra-DC or inter-DC extended.
FQDN-based: The pool where network devices connect to Data Gateway instances spans multiple subnets within the same HA pool. To protect the internal subnet addresses of the Data Gateway HA pool, use an external Network Load Balancer (NLB) that acts as a host for a VIP, directing traffic toward the network devices.
VIP configuration options.
Shared VIP: If the VIPs for the Active and Standby sites are in the same subnet, you can choose the Shared VIP option. This means that the VIPs for the Data Gateway instances in both sites are shared and can be found in the Global Pool Parameters pane.
Site-specific VIP: If the VIPs for the Active and Standby sites are in different subnets, you should select the Site-Specific VIP option. In this situation, the Data Gateway instances in each site have separate VIPs and must be configured in their respective site panes.
Pool creation guidelines
When setting up a Data Gateway pool, it's important to adhere to these guidelines to ensure seamless creation of pools.
Create at least one pool and assign Data Gateway instances to it. This step is mandatory to set up the Data Gateway for collection.
All the Data Gateway instances in a pool must be of the same configuration that is either Standard or Extended.
Pool creation fails if the FQDN configurations are missing for VIPs in the DNS server. Either check the FQDN configuration in the DNS server or disable the FQDN option and try again.
If Crosswork is deployed on a dual-stack, make sure that the Data Gateway instances are also deployed on a dual-stack to ensure smooth data transmission between them.
For dual-stack deployment, create a pool with both VIP IPv4 and IPv6 addresses.
In AWS EC2, a Crosswork Data Gateway pool spanning multiple Availability Zones (AZs) supports only a 1:1 configuration. Each pool includes one active instance and one standby instance. This setup consists of one active Data Gateway and one standby Data Gateway, meaning that each pool can only include one active instance and one standby instance.
On-premises setups may support M:N configurations, where M is the number of active instances and N is the number of standby instances. In contrast, AWS EC2 supports only the 1:1 redundancy model.
Pool parameters
This section describes the pool parameters required when creating a Data Gateway pool.
Table 1. Pool parameters and descriptions
Parameters
Description
Pool name
Unique name that describes the network
Description
Description of the pool.
IPv4 subnet
IPv4 subnet mask for each Data Gateway; use a value from 1 to 32.
IPv4 network gateway
IPv4 network gateway address to communicate with devices.
IPv6 subnet
Subnet mask for each Data Gateway. The IPv6 subnet mask value can be from 1 to 128.
IPv6 network gateway
IPv6 network gateway address to communicate with devices.
Number of spares
Number of Data Gateway instances that operate as standby; if an active Data Gateway is unavailable, a spare assumes the active role
Enable FQDN for virtual IP addresses
Hostname or FQDN for each virtual IP address of the Data Gateway in the syslog certificate.
IPv4 address
IPv4 address of the Data Gateway VMs.
IPv6 address
IPv6 address of the Data Gateway VMs not assigned to any other VM.
FQDN
The FQDN address is not configurable and is fetched from DNS after a successful pool creation or edit operation.
Create a pool in the geo redundancy-enabled sites
When creating a pool for a geo-redundancy enabled deployment, there are some additional VIP and site parameters that must be provided. The pool creation process is similar to a non-geo deployment, but with added fields that only appear when the geo redundancy feature is enabled.
The following procedure describes how to configure the additional fields.
Navigate to the Administration > Data Gateway Management > Pools tab.
2.
Click and select one of the options:
VIP-based
FQDN-based
To view information about the pool types, click Types of pools in the top-right corner. The Create pool page appears.
3.
In the Pool parameters pane, enter the required pool parameters. For a list of parameters, see Pool parameters.
4.
Add the required Data Gateway instances. Based on your selection, IPv4, IPv6, both, or FQDN, enter a virtual IP address or FQDN for each active Data Gateway instance.
Figure 4. VIP-based pool
Figure 5. FQDN-based pool
5.
In the Assign data gateway instance(s) pane, select the Data Gateways from Unassigned data gateway instance(s) on the left and click the right arrow to move the instances to Assigned data gateway instance(s).
Figure 6. Active pane for single stack
Figure 7. Active pane for dual stack
6.
In the Standby pane, select the Data Gateway instances from Unassigned data gateway Instance(s) on the left and click the right arrow to move the instances to Data gateway instance(s) added to pool.
7.
Click Save.
In Amazon EC2, after a pool is created, make sure that the Network Load Balancer is in a healthy state for the active Data Gateway.
After you saved your changes, a virtual Data Gateway gets created automatically and is visible under the Data Gateway instances tab.
Assign Data Gateways to geo redundancy-enabled sites
You can maintain uninterrupted data collection by reassigning a Data Gateway from a standby site to an active geo redundancy-enabled site.
Perform this task to fail over the Data Gateway responsibilities due to site maintenance, upgrades, or unexpected outages to ensure continuous data collection and network operations. By reassigning the Data Gateway, you can continue to maintain data flow continuity without disruption. This leverages the geo redundant architecture for high availability.
Before you begin
The prerequisites for reassigning a Data Gateway from standby to active site in a Crosswork environment include:
Ensure that the Data Gateways are currently unassigned, providing the option to assign them to either the active or standby site.
When the Data Gateways are in the unassigned state, you have the option to assign them to either an Active or Standby site.
If the Data Gateway is part of a pool, verify that assignment will be performed during a Crosswork migration process using the edit pool option. During migration, a notification will appear on the Data Gateway Management page indicating the ongoing process.
Validate that the network and resource requirements are met, including sufficient VM resources, bandwidth, and network configurations consistent with the deployment guidelines outlined in the Cisco documentation.
Procedure
1.
Navigate to Administration > Data Gateway Management and choose the Data gateway instances tab.
2.
Click Assign DG instance to site
The Assign data gateway instance(s) to site window opens. The window displays the Data Gateway instances in the unassigned state.
3.
Select the unassigned Data Gateway instance to be reassigned.
4.
Choose the target site from the Select site drop-down.
5.
Click Assign.
The selected Data Gateway instance is assigned to the chosen site. The site name is updated in the management interface.
What to do next
Confirm data collection continuity and verify that the Data Gateway is operational at the new site. Monitor for any status alerts after the assignment.
Edit or delete a Data Gateway pool
Before you begin
Prerequisites before editing or deleting a Data Gateway pool:
Ensure that no devices are currently attached to the virtual Data Gateways or to any pools, as deletion is not allowed while devices remain attached.
All devices mapped to a Data Gateway instance must be unmapped before you can remove that instance from the pool. Removing the instance allows the system to select a standby instance from the pool as a replacement during a failover operation.
Prior to deleting a Data Gateway pool, detach all devices from the Data Gateway or migrate them to another Data Gateway instance. For details on manual failover procedures, see Perform a manual failover.
Use these steps to edit or delete a Data Gateway pool.
Procedure
1.
Navigate to Administration > Data Gateway Management and choose the Pools tab.
2.
Edit high availability (HA) pool:
Select a pool you want to edit from the list of pools displayed on this page.
To open the Edit high availability (HA) pool page, click .
When you edit a resource pool, you can only change some of the parameters in the Pool parameters pane. To modify the rest of the parameters, create a new pool with the needed values and move the Data Gateway instances to that pool.
You can modify the resource parameters that change depending on the pool type in the Pool parameters pane:
Add a virtual IP address or FQDN for each active Data Gateway. For dual-stack deployments, provide both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses.
Note
FQDN is not applicable to VIP-based pools because it is fetched from DNS after a successful pool creation or edit operation.
Change the number of standby Data Gateway instances.
Add or remove Data Gateway instances from the pool.
Enable or disable FQDN for the pool.
In the Active and Standby site parameters pane, modify the IP or FQDN addresses of the Data Gateway VM.
and select one of the options:
.
.