What is a heartbeat connection and how do I select an appropriate network interface for it?
Last modified date:
2025-09-02
Applicable Products
- QuTS hero h5.3.0 or later
- High Availability Manager 1.0 or later
Concept
In a high-availability (HA) cluster, a heartbeat connection allows direct periodic exchanges between the two nodes in the cluster. This allows them to monitor each other’s status and ensure that they remain connected and synchronized.
In addition to status detection, the heartbeat connection is also responsible for data synchronization. We use SnapSync technology to perform real-time data synchronization, ensuring data consistency between the nodes.
Recommendation
When setting up the heartbeat connection during cluster creation, please note the following requirements and considerations:
- Use a direct connection
- The heartbeat connection requires a dedicated, point-to-point network connection between the two nodes.
- Do not use switches, hubs, or other networking equipment in between, as they may introduce latency or connection instability.
- Use the same network interface on both NAS devices
- You must use the same network interface on both NAS devices.
For example, if you are using Adapter 2 on the active node device for the heartbeat connection, you must also use Adapter 2 on the passive node device for the heartbeat connection. - The network interface for the heartbeat connection cannot have VLAN or vSwitch adapter bindings.
- Configure DHCP IP addresses to both network interfaces.
- You must use the same network interface on both NAS devices.
- Ensure high-performance and low-latency connectivity
- Select high-speed network interfaces such as 10GbE or higher.
- The heartbeat connection must have the highest speed and lowest latency, as it directly impacts both failover detection and data synchronization.
- The heartbeat connection speed must be greater than or equal to the cluster connection speed.
- Consider port trunking
- If possible, use port trunking (link aggregation) to increase bandwidth and improve fault tolerance.
- You can configure the port trunking mode to "Active-Backup", depending on the capabilities of your hardware and network environment.
- Port trunking modes "Balance-alb" and "Balance-tlb" are not allowed for the heartbeat connection.
