Endurance
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Introduction

How this manual is organised, the conventions it uses, and an overview of Endurance and its key features.

About this Manual

This document covers all required administration information for v3.2.1 Loadbalancer.org Endurance appliances. For simplicity and ease of reference, the core content is structured in the same way to the Endurance main menu.

Document Style Conventions

To make instructions easier to follow, this manual uses a consistent set of text styles. Each style has a specific meaning, as described below.

Text Styles

Style Used for Examples

Italics

Literal WebUI labels - field names, checkbox and radio-button labels, drop-down option values, tab and panel names, and the names of templates and settings exactly as they appear on screen.

Specify a suitable Name for the service.
Enable (check) the SSH enabled checkbox.
Select the Layer 4 template.

Italics with `>`

Navigation paths through the WebUI menu, with each > representing a step deeper into the menu.

Navigate to Cluster Configuration > Manage Services.
Open Maintenance > User management.

Bold

Buttons and other controls the user clicks or activates, WebUI mode names, status values reported by the appliance, and the specific example values that the reader is asked to enter.

Click Add service, then click Next.
The steps below use Advanced Mode.
The Status shows Pending until the service is updated.
Specify a suitable Name, e.g. Web-Cluster.

Monospace

Literal text that is typed or read verbatim - configuration directives and parameters, HTTP methods, headers and status codes, URLs, file paths, API endpoints, MIME types, and certificate content.

Add option httpchk to the backend.
The check expects a 200 response to a GET request.
Send the request to https://10.11.40.60:443/api/v1/.

Notices

Important supplementary information is highlighted in call-out boxes:

A note provides additional information or clarification that is helpful but not essential to completing the current step.
A tip offers optional advice, a shortcut or a recommended best practice.
An important notice highlights information that must not be overlooked, for example a step that must be repeated on each node of an HA pair.

Other Elements

  • Cross-references - blue, clickable links to another section of this manual, for example Health checks. External web links point to resources on the Loadbalancer.org website.

  • Screenshots - captures of the WebUI are included throughout to illustrate the interface and confirm the expected result of each step.

  • Code blocks - commands, configuration snippets and API request/response examples are shown in shaded, monospaced blocks.

  • Tables - settings, options and their descriptions are frequently summarized in tables such as the one above.

About Endurance

Endurance is Loadbalancer.org’s next-generation Application Delivery Controller (ADC) and represents the future direction of our load balancing portfolio. Rebuilt from the ground up on a modern operating system and software architecture, Endurance pairs a proven load balancing core with advanced automation, full API integration and powerful security features to provide a comprehensive solution for managing application delivery across today’s distributed environments.

A single Endurance appliance can load balance virtually any TCP or UDP based application. It provides:

  • Layer 7 services, based on HAProxy - a fast, reliable proxy for TCP, HTTP/1.1 and HTTP/2 applications, with SSL/TLS termination, a wide range of persistence methods and content-aware traffic manipulation. For more information, see Layer 7 Services.

  • Layer 4 services, based on LVS (the Linux Virtual Server) - high-performance, transport-layer load balancing implemented in the Linux kernel. For more information, see Layer 4 Services.

  • Global Server Load Balancing (GSLB), for distributing traffic across multiple geographically dispersed sites or data centers to create highly available, multi-site environments. For more information, see GSLB Services.

The WebUI has been redesigned around real-time technology. Status, health and performance information is streamed to the browser, so the dashboard and service pages update live without needing to be refreshed. Every configuration action is also available through a complete REST API, so Endurance is equally at home when driven interactively through the WebUI or automated as part of a DevOps or CI/CD workflow using tools such as Terraform and Ansible.

Currently, Endurance is available in ISO format with full support for VMware. Additional platforms and deployment formats are coming.

The appliance can be deployed as a single unit or as a highly available clustered pair.

Loadbalancer.org always recommend that clustered pairs are used where possible for high availability and resilience, this avoids introducing a single point of failure to your network. For more information, see High Availability Configuration.

Key Features

The table below summarizes the key features of the Endurance appliance and indicates where each is covered in more detail.

Feature Description

Layer 7 load balancing

Flexible, content-aware load balancing for HTTP/HTTPS and other TCP applications, based on HAProxy. See Layer 7 Services.

Layer 4 load balancing

High-performance, low-latency load balancing for TCP and UDP applications, based on LVS. See Layer 4 Services.

Global Server Load Balancing (GSLB)

DNS-based load balancing across multiple sites or data centers for multi-site resilience. See GSLB Services.

SSL/TLS termination

Terminate, offload or bridge SSL/TLS on the appliance, with centrally managed certificates and configurable cipher lists. See SSL/TLS Termination - Concepts.

High availability

Deploy two appliances as an active/passive clustered pair using PulseHA, with services floating between nodes on failover. See High Availability Configuration.

Real-time WebUI

A modern, responsive web interface that streams live status, health and performance data to the browser. See System Overview.

Full REST API

Complete programmatic control of the appliance for automation and integration with DevOps and CI/CD pipelines. See Application Programming Interface (API).

Health checking

A comprehensive range of health checks that automatically remove failed Real Servers from service and return them when they recover. See Health checks.

Role-based access control

Granular control of WebUI access through users, groups and roles, so each operator is granted only the permissions they require. See User management and Roles & groups.

Monitoring & metrics

Built-in SNMP support and a Prometheus collector for integration with external monitoring solutions. See SNMP Configuration and Collectors.

Latest Version Release Notes & Known Issues

Endurance is currently available as a public beta and is under active development. Details of the latest release - including new features, improvements and fixes - are published alongside each build on the Endurance download page.

The beta is intended for evaluation and testing environments. Unlimited support is available throughout the beta program - if you have any questions or encounter an issue, please contact support.

Appliance Configuration Overview

Initial network configuration can be performed at the console or via a browser using the Network Setup Wizard. Once the wizard has been run, load balanced services can be configured using the WebUI or using the API. When using the WebUI, API calls are used in the background to configure the appliance.

By default, the WebUI is accessible on HTTPS port 443, this can be changed if required.

We recommend that where possible two appliances are deployed for high availability and resilience, this avoids introducing a single point of failure to your network. For more information, see High Availability Configuration

Appliance Access & Security

WebUI

The first WebUI user account is added when the Network Setup Wizard is run. The user is automatically added to the System Admin role which grants full system rights. Additional user accounts can be added if required, permissions granted to each user are based on the role(s) allocated either directly to the user or via group membership and the permissions configured for those role(s).

Console & SSH

"loadbalancer" User

If required, console and SSH access for the "loadbalancer" CLI user account can be enabled. This allows both Linux OS and Endurance specific commands to be run.

"lbsystem" User (Console only)

The "lbsystem" CLI user account provides access to a limited range of commands such as appliance restart and shutdown.

Additional Information

Deployment Guides

A number of Deployment guides that focus on load balancing specific applications are avaialble. They cover the configuration of the load balancer as well as any application specific changes that are required to enable load balancing. Many Other deployment guides already exist for Enterprise, these are currently being ported to Endurance. All guides are available on our website at https://www.loadbalancer.org/resources/?filter-type=documentation.

Related Documentation

The following related documentation may also be useful:

Contacting Support

If you have any questions regarding the appliance or need assistance with load balancing your application, please don’t hesitate to contact support.