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Version: v23.0

AWS Load Balancer Quick Start Guide

This quick start guide describes how to set up and configure a load balancing solution for DxEnterprise running in AWS. Using this guide, you will create virtual machines and a security group, configure applications, and create and configure an AWS load balancer that will allow access to resources under a DxEnterprise Vhost.

Prerequisites​

  • Access to Amazon Web Services (AWS) with permissions to launch instances, create and modify security groups, and create load balancers.

Configure Your AWS Environment​

These sections describe how to prepare your AWS environment for the load balancer using the AWS Management Console.

Create the Virtual Machines​

  1. Login to the AWS Management Console.

  2. Search for EC2 under AWS Services > Find Services.

  3. On the left of the window, select Instances.

  4. Select Launch Instance at the top of the window.

  5. Select AWS Marketplace on the left of the window.

  6. Search for DxEnterprise using the search bar near the top of the window.

  7. Select one of the DxEnterprise offerings listed in the results.

  8. Create the VM.

    1. Choose an instance type.

      caution

      SQL Server requires at least 2GB of free RAM.

    2. Select Next: Configure Instance Details at the bottom right of the window.

    3. Select a subnet for the VM. Note the selected subnet for later use.

      Configure the instance details

    4. Select 6. Configure Security Group from the options at the top of the window.

    5. Assign a name and description for the security group.

    6. If desired, modify the SSH rule to allow access from known IP addresses only.

    7. Select Review and Launch at the bottom-right of the window, then Launch.

    8. Create a new key pair or select and existing key pair, then launch the instance.

  9. Repeat steps 8i through 8iii for any additional VM(s). Assign the VMs to the same subnet from step 8iii of the first VM.

    1. Select 6. Configure Security Group from the options at the top of the window and assign the VM to the existing security group configured during the setup of the first VM.

    2. Select Review and Launch at the bottom-right of the window, then Launch.

    3. Create a new key pair or select and existing key pair, then launch the instance.

  10. The EC2 instances have been created and are initializing. Return to the EC2 landing page by clicking the AWS icon in the top-left corner and searching for EC2 under AWS Services > Find Services.

Modify the Security Group​

You will need to edit the rules for the security group to allow all inbound traffic from members within the group.

  1. Select Security Groups under Network & Security.

  2. Select the security group from the list, then select Edit inbound rules.

  3. Add a rule to allow all inbound traffic originating from members of the security group and save the rule.

    Edit the inbound rules for the security group

  4. Return to the AWS Console by selecting the AWS icon in the top-left corner.

Configure DxEnterprise and Applications​

Setup DxEnterprise​

The steps in this section steps depend on what operating system you chose for the DxEnterprise AMIs in the Create the Virtual Machines section.

Configure Applications​

Now you can configure your applications for DxEnterprise after creating a cluster using one of the guides above. DH2i provides quick start guides for some applications – such as Microsoft SQL Server – running on physical or virtual machines; hyperlinks for these guides are provided below. Various other DxEnterprise configurations can take advantage of the AWS Load Balancer besides those covered in these guides.

tip

The DxEnterprise Admin Guide has more comprehensive information about the features and capabilities of DxEnterprise.

After configuring the application, leave the console or DxAdmin window open for the next section.

Add a Probe Port​

After configuring DxEnterprise and your application on the VM, add a probe port to the Vhost using DxCLI or DxAdmin.

  1. Right-click on the Vhost and select Update virtual host.

  2. Select the pencil icon to the right of the Probe Port field, then enter a port number into the field. More than one probe port may be added to the Vhost by separating the ports with a comma.

  3. Note the Vhost IP and probe port for later use. Save the changes by selecting OK at the bottom of the window.

After adding the probe port to the Vhost, return to the AWS Management Console.

Create and Configure the AWS Load Balancer​

Now that the VMs, DxEnterprise, and the applications are all configured, you can create the load balancer.

Edit the Security Group​

First, you'll need to add two additional rules to the security group that you modified earlier.

  1. Search for EC2 under AWS Services > Find Services.

  2. Select Security Groups under Network & Security.

  3. Select the security group from the list, then select Edit inbound rules.

  4. Add the following rules:

    Allow traffic on the application listener port for each Vhost VM using their IP address.
    1. Find the VMs by selecting Instances from the left panel.
    2. Select one of the listed VMs (instances) that belong to the Vhost. The IP address will be listed under Private IPs.
    3. Add the IP address and port as a custom TCP rule, and optionally put the name of the node in the description.

    Repeat these steps for each VM in participating in the Vhost.

    Allow traffic on the Vhost probe port from the subnet the VMs belong to.

    You'll need to find the correct CIDR for the subnet to add this rule. To find the subnet CIDR:

    1. Select Instances from the left panel.
    2. Select one of the listed VMs (instances) that belong to the Vhost.
    3. Select the Subnet ID in the information pane. The CIDR for the subnet will be listed in the subnet information pane.
    4. Add the CIDR and port as a custom TCP rule, and optionally leave a description.

  5. After completing these steps, your security group should look something similar to this:

    Example of completed Security Group rules

Create the Load Balancer​

Finally, you can create your load balancer!

  1. Under Load Balancing, select Load Balancers.

  2. At the top-left of the window, select Create Load Balancer.

  3. Select Create under Network Load Balancer.

    1. Under Basic Configuration, assign the load balancer a name and change the scheme to internal.

    2. Under Listeners, change the Load Balancer Port to the Vhost probe port.

    3. Under Availability Zones, select the availability zone and subnet the VMs belong to.

      Select the availability zone and subnet the VMs belong to

    4. Select Next: Configure Security Settings, then Next: Configure Routing.

    5. Under Target Group, assign a name and set the port to Vhost probe port.

      Set the target group's port to the Vhost probe port

    6. Select Next: Register Targets.

    7. Under Instances, select the VMs (instances) that belong to the Vhost and select Add to registered. More information on registering targets can be found in the references section at the end of this document.

      Select the VMs that belong to the Vhost and register them

  4. AWS will begin provisioning the load balancer and registering the targets. To view the status of the targets, select Load Balancing > Target Groups, then select the Targets tab in the information pane.

Next Steps​

Additional Information​