Cisco Crosswork Network Controller 7.2.x Administration Guide

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Cisco Crosswork Network Controller 7.2.x Administration Guide

Crosswork Data Gateway disaster recovery scenarios

Updated: August 14, 2026

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Describes the main situations and approaches to restoring Crosswork Data Gateway services after a disaster.

A disaster recovery scenario is a operational scenario that:

  • addresses the re-establishment of Crosswork Data Gateway services after a system-wide disaster,

  • involves steps that may vary depending on the number and types of Data Gateway VMs present, and

  • determines whether additional manual procedures are required if Data Gateway VMs were deleted during the disaster.

Types of disaster recovery scenarios

Additional information

The disaster recovery process for Cisco Crosswork Network Controller automatically restores Data Gateway services in most cases. Manual procedures are only required if Data Gateway VMs have been deleted from the system during the disaster.

Restore Data Gateways after a disaster (with high availability)

Restore a Data Gateway pool with active and standby VMs after a disaster event, ensuring high availability and continued data collection.

Use this task after a disaster, when a Data Gateway pool with high availability is in the Error state and Cisco Crosswork disaster recovery is complete. This procedure returns the pool and devices to normal operation.

Before you begin

  • Complete the Cisco Crosswork disaster recovery operation.

  • Ensure Crosswork data is restored and all pods are healthy and operational.

  • Do not redeploy Data Gateways until Crosswork is fully restored.

Procedure

1.

Install new Data Gateway VMs using the same profile, hostname, and management interface as before the disaster.

The newly installed Data Gateway VMs will appear in the Error state because Crosswork restores data from the old VMs.
2.

Log in to Cisco Crosswork.
3.

Navigate to the Administration > Data Gateway Management > Pools page (or the equivalent for your environment).
4.

Select and edit the pool. Remove (unassign) the standby VM from the pool.
5.

Change the Administration State of the standby VM to Maintenance mode.

Note

If you redeploy the Data Gateway without first moving it to Maintenance mode, enrollment with Crosswork fails and errors appear in the logs. To resolve, switch to Maintenance mode or manually re-enroll the gateway.
6.

Edit the pool again and add the standby VM to the pool.

Adding the standby VM triggers a failover and the newly added VM becomes the active VM in the pool.
7.

Repeat steps 4–6 to restore the (now) standby VM that is still in the Error state.
8.

Verify the following:

  • The pool has both an active and standby VM.

  • Devices are attached to the active VM in the pool.

  • Collection jobs are running as expected.

The Data Gateway pool is restored with high availability, and normal operation of devices and collection jobs resumes.

What to do next

  • Monitor Data Gateway and device status to ensure continued normal operation.

  • Address any remaining error states by reviewing logs or following troubleshooting procedures.

Restore Data Gateways after a disaster (without high availability)

Restore Data Gateway VMs and pools after a disaster in environments without high availability, so that device management and data collection can continue.

Use this task when you lose a Data Gateway VM during a disaster and your deployment does not use high availability. Choose the recovery option that fits your situation: replacing a VM, detaching or moving devices, or adding a standby VM. Each option restores device management and data collection capabilities.

Before you begin

  • Complete the Cisco Crosswork disaster recovery operation.

  • Ensure all Data Gateway VM and pool information is restored and available in Cisco Crosswork.

Procedure

1.

Replace a lost Data Gateway VM with a new VM (same configuration as the original).

  1. Log in to Cisco Crosswork and go to Administration > Data Gateway Management > Data gateways.

  2. Delete the existing pool associated with the lost VM.

  3. Set the Administration State of the VM to Maintenance.

  4. Install a new Data Gateway VM with the same profile, hostname, and management interface as the lost VM.

  5. Set the Administration State of the VM to Up.

    The Operational State of the VM changes from Error to Not Ready.

  6. Create a new pool with the same name as the original, and add the VM to this pool.

    Verify the Data Gateway has Operational State as Up.

  7. Attach devices to the Data Gateway as needed.

  8. Verify that collection jobs are running as expected.
2.

Detach devices or move devices to another operational Data Gateway.

  1. Log in to Cisco Crosswork and go to Administration > Data Gateway Management > Data gateways.

  2. Detach devices from the affected VM or move devices to another Data Gateway that is Operational State Up.

  3. Delete the existing pool. (Note: This action does not unassign the VM from the pool; it will still appear assigned.)

  4. Set the Administration State of the VM to Maintenance.

  5. Reboot the VM to unassign it from the pool.

    After reboot, the VM enrolls with Cisco Crosswork automatically. Wait about 5 minutes, then verify the VM is administratively Up and in Not Ready state.

    Note

    You can also manually re-enroll the VM from the Interactive Console of the Data Gateway VM, if required.

  6. Create a new pool with the same name and add the VM.

  7. Verify Data Gateway has Operational State as Up.

  8. Reattach devices or move devices back to this Data Gateway as needed.

  9. Verify that collection jobs are running as expected.
3.

Add a standby VM to the pool (restore a pool with only one active VM or multiple VMs without standby).

Note

To restore multiple active VMs in a pool without standby VMs, repeat these steps for each active VM.

  1. Install a new Data Gateway VM.

  2. Log in to Cisco Crosswork and go to Administration > Data Gateway Management > Pools.

  3. Add the new VM to the pool.

    Adding a VM triggers a failover and the newly added VM becomes the active VM in the pool.

  4. Edit the pool, remove the now-standby VM, and set its Administration State to Maintenance.

    After about 5 minutes, the standby VM enrolls with Cisco Crosswork automatically and should be operationally Up and in Not Ready state.

    Note

    You can manually re-enroll the VM if necessary from the Interactive Console of the Data Gateway VM.

  5. Add the standby VM back to the pool. Verify both active and standby VMs are operationally Up.

  6. Verify the following:

    • Devices are attached to the active VM in the pool.

    • Collection jobs are running as expected.

Data Gateways and pools are restored, devices are reattached, and collection jobs resume as expected in a non-high availability deployment after a disaster.

What to do next

  • Monitor Data Gateway and collection job status to confirm normal operation.

  • Review logs and troubleshoot if any VM remains in Error or Not Ready state.

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