Clusters and Nodes
Note
This feature is not included in Community Edition and requires a valid Virtual CipherTrust Manager license. To activate your instance with a trial evaluation, or a term or perpetual license, see Licensing.
Overview
Clusters and nodes are the resources used to create and manage CipherTrust Manager clustering.
A cluster is a group of connected CipherTrust Manager appliances that share data. A cluster node is an individual appliance within the cluster.
The main purpose of clustering is to support High Availability. When clustered, all cluster nodes continuously synchronize their databases with each other. Any node in the cluster may be contacted for any operation. A cluster supports any combination of appliance models; both virtual and physical appliances can join the same cluster. However, all cluster nodes must be the same firmware version during normal operation, and this is enforced during the join operation. Upgrading CipherTrust Manager firmware version for nodes in a cluster requires a special sequence.
Nodes in a cluster communicate over port 5432. Members of the cluster must have bi-directional access to each other on port 5432.
Note
For proper cluster functionality, every node must be synchronized to the same time. Otherwise, communication between nodes fails. You must manually configure the same NTP server for each node. The NTP server configuration is not replicated, so you must configure each node independently.
Cluster Disconnection
If a cluster node gets temporarily disconnected, an alarm is set and syslog messages are sent. When the node comes back it synchronizes with other members of the cluster.
If a cluster node gets permanently disconnected, notify the remaining nodes by sending a ksctl cluster nodes delete command to one remaining node. That node then sends the same command to the rest of the cluster. This prevents the remaining nodes from continually storing catch-up changes for the missing node, which will eventually fill up their local volumes.
Cluster Size and Performance
The maximum number of cluster nodes is 20. Joining a 21st node will fail.
For optimal performance and stability, the recommended cluster size is 4-6 nodes. If you desire a larger cluster size, be sure to plan carefully for these scalability considerations:
Good connectivity is required between every node. As each node is continually connected to every other node, network issues can cause synchronization problems between nodes, creating maintenance and troubleshooting overhead.
Upgrading firmware for a larger cluster can be complex and time-consuming.
Each node must be upgraded individually.
For online upgrade, running different CipherTrust Manager firmware versions within a cluster is only supported for one version back, and only during the upgrade window.
For offline upgrade, the entire cluster is offline during part of the upgrade window.
What is not clustered?
Most things replicate across the cluster. However, the following items are specific to an individual node, and are not clustered:
Backup files
Backup keys
Debug, KMIP Activity, and NAE Activity logs
NTP configuration
HSM configuration
Instance name
Virtual CipherTrust Manager license
Note
Licenses for connector applications are replicated. This is because the 'Connector Lock Code', unlike the 'Key Manager Lock Code', is cluster-wide.
Interface certificates
Proxy settings
Sharing HSM Root of Trust Configuration
CipherTrust Manager internally uses a flexible security architecture to allow clustering instances with both shared and distinct 'root of trust' configurations.
If the member node and the new node share the same HSM partition, it is recommended to pass the flag --shared-hsm-partition during nodes create or fulljoin, and to set each node to use the same Root of Trust (RoT) key using ksctl rot-keys rotate --id <root-of-trust-id>. This configuration further increases the security of cluster join procedure by ensuring that CipherTrust Manager secrets and master keys are protected by an HSM-secured RoT key during the join process, when these objects are transferred between nodes for the first time.
When the new node uses a distinct HSM partition or does not use any HSM, it is still possible to join it to an existing cluster by not specifying the --shared-hsm-partition flag.
Caution
Each CipherTrust Manager node in the cluster uses its own root of trust configuration to protect the Key Encryption Key (KEK) chain that secures the sensitive data of the cluster. When a new node, not connected to an HSM, joins a CipherTrust Manager cluster with all HSM connected nodes, it becomes the weakest point in the key hierarchy and potentially weakens the overall security of the cluster.
Managing Clusters and Nodes
Use the ksctl command line interface for managing clusters and nodes. The relevant commands are:
ksctl cluster csr
ksctl cluster delete
ksctl cluster fulljoin
ksctl cluster info
ksctl cluster join
ksctl cluster new
ksctl cluster nodes list
ksctl cluster nodes get
ksctl cluster nodes create
ksctl cluster nodes delete
Note
All global flags can be configured using a configuration file. Otherwise, you will need to specify the URL, username and password for each call as demonstrated in a few examples below.
Check the Status of a Cluster
To check the status of a cluster enter the command:
ksctl cluster info
This returns the following response:
{
"nodeID": "",
"status": {
"code": "none",
"description": "not clustered"
},
}
Create a New Cluster
Make the following call on a running appliance (you will need to insert the hostname/IP of the appliance). When running cluster new, --host and --url are most likely going to be identical except that --host will not have the protocol. To create a new cluster enter the command:
ksctl cluster new --host=localHostName --url=urlOfCurrentNode --user=username --password=Password_1
This returns the following response:
{
"nodeID": "ab40e178-5f1d-4f03-8b26-7ca378f74988",
"status": {
"code": "r",
"description": "ready"
},
"nodeCount": 1
}
Show the Status of All Nodes in the Cluster
Enter the following command on any node:
ksctl cluster nodes list
This returns the following response:
{
"skip": 0,
"limit": 256,
"total": 1,
"resources": [
{
"nodeID": "c05ead39-94ac-4459-a371-9915e3e16ebf",
"status": {
"code": "r",
"description": "ready"
},
"host": "kylo_pg_1",
"isThisNode": true
}
]
}
The possible statuses are:
nodes are in different states across databasesnot clusteredreadyjoining: creating (1/5)joining: bootstrapping (2/5)joining: initial sync (3/5)joining: catching up (4/5)joining: completing (5/5)killeddownunknown
Show the Status of a Single Node in the Cluster
To show the status of a single node in a cluster enter the command:
ksctl cluster nodes get --id=c05ead39-94ac-4459-a371-9915e3e16ebf
This returns the following response:
{
"nodeID": "c05ead39-94ac-4459-a371-9915e3e16ebf",
"status": {
"code": "r",
"description": "ready"
},
"host": "kylo_pg_1",
"isThisNode": true
}
Show a summary of all nodes in the cluster
To show a summary of all nodes in a cluster, run:
ksctl cluster summary
This returns the following response:
{
"skip": 0,
"limit": 0,
"total": 3,
"resources": {
"2dda1a9e4de4438b9fab1c7efc95bea8": {
"clusterSummary": {
"2dda1a9e4de4438b9fab1c7efc95bea8": {
"clusterErrors": null,
"nodeInfo": {
"host": "54.224.193.194",
"isThisNode": true,
"nodeID": "2dda1a9e4de4438b9fab1c7efc95bea8",
"port": 5432,
"publicAddress": "54.224.193.194",
"status": {
"code": "r",
"description": "ready"
}
},
"summary": "GOOD"
},
"f374bb3eab384692843e8dc60a9c2da2": {
"clusterErrors": null,
"nodeInfo": {
"applyRate": 2500,
"catchupInterval": "00:00:00",
"connectTime": "2022-08-24T05:40:23.706218Z",
"connected": true,
"flushLSN": "0/50D6ED0",
"flushLag": "00:00:00.000873",
"flushLagBytes": 0,
"flushLagSize": "0 bytes",
"host": "54.144.33.167",
"isThisNode": false,
"nodeID": "f374bb3eab384692843e8dc60a9c2da2",
"port": 5432,
"publicAddress": "54.144.33.167",
"replayLSN": "0/50D6ED0",
"replayLag": "00:00:00.000873",
"replayLagBytes": 0,
"replayLagSize": "0 bytes",
"replicationBlocked": false,
"sentLSN": "0/50D6ED0",
"sentLagBytes": 0,
"sentLagSize": "0 bytes",
"state": "streaming",
"status": {
"code": "r",
"description": "ready"
},
"uptime": "00:03:42.332005",
"writeLSN": "0/50D6ED0",
"writeLag": "00:00:00.000873",
"writeLagBytes": 0,
"writeLagSize": "0 bytes"
},
"summary": "GOOD"
},
"f50adf6919c047f0b83c2bf73553f962": {
"clusterErrors": null,
"nodeInfo": {
"applyRate": 2504,
"catchupInterval": "00:00:00",
"connectTime": "2022-08-24T05:28:49.73947Z",
"connected": true,
"flushLSN": "0/50D6ED0",
"flushLag": "00:00:00.001327",
"flushLagBytes": 0,
"flushLagSize": "0 bytes",
"host": "18.234.75.110",
"isThisNode": false,
"nodeID": "f50adf6919c047f0b83c2bf73553f962",
"port": 5432,
"publicAddress": "18.234.75.110",
"replayLSN": "0/50D6ED0",
"replayLag": "00:00:00.001327",
"replayLagBytes": 0,
"replayLagSize": "0 bytes",
"replicationBlocked": false,
"sentLSN": "0/50D6ED0",
"sentLagBytes": 0,
"sentLagSize": "0 bytes",
"state": "streaming",
"status": {
"code": "r",
"description": "ready"
},
"uptime": "00:15:16.298753",
"writeLSN": "0/50D6ED0",
"writeLag": "00:00:00.001327",
"writeLagBytes": 0,
"writeLagSize": "0 bytes"
},
"summary": "GOOD"
}
},
"lastUpdated": "2022-08-24T05:44:06.112975Z"
},
"f50adf6919c047f0b83c2bf73553f962": {
"clusterSummary": {
"2dda1a9e4de4438b9fab1c7efc95bea8": {
"clusterErrors": [
{
"errorMessage": "could not connect to the postgresql server in replication mode: timeout expired\n",
"errorTime": "2022-08-24T06:20:36.959429Z"
}
],
"nodeInfo": {
"applyRate": 945,
"catchupInterval": "00:00:00",
"connected": false,
"flushLSN": "0/3E1A700",
"flushLag": "00:00:00.00079",
"flushLagBytes": 0,
"flushLagSize": "0 bytes",
"host": "54.224.193.194",
"isThisNode": false,
"nodeID": "2dda1a9e4de4438b9fab1c7efc95bea8",
"port": 5432,
"publicAddress": "54.224.193.194",
"replayLSN": "0/3E1A700",
"replayLag": "00:00:00.00079",
"replayLagBytes": 0,
"replayLagSize": "0 bytes",
"replicationBlocked": false,
"sentLSN": "0/3E1A700",
"sentLagBytes": 0,
"sentLagSize": "0 bytes",
"state": "streaming",
"status": {
"code": "d",
"description": "down"
},
"writeLSN": "0/3E1A700",
"writeLag": "00:00:00.00079",
"writeLagBytes": 0,
"writeLagSize": "0 bytes"
},
"summary": "BAD:node is inactive"
},
"f374bb3eab384692843e8dc60a9c2da2": {
"clusterErrors": [
{
"errorMessage": "could not connect to the postgresql server in replication mode: timeout expired\n",
"errorTime": "2022-08-24T06:20:36.973754Z"
}
],
"nodeInfo": {
"applyRate": 936,
"catchupInterval": "00:00:00",
"connected": false,
"flushLSN": "0/3E1A700",
"flushLag": "00:00:00.000856",
"flushLagBytes": 0,
"flushLagSize": "0 bytes",
"host": "54.144.33.167",
"isThisNode": false,
"nodeID": "f374bb3eab384692843e8dc60a9c2da2",
"port": 5432,
"publicAddress": "54.144.33.167",
"replayLSN": "0/3E1A700",
"replayLag": "00:00:00.000856",
"replayLagBytes": 0,
"replayLagSize": "0 bytes",
"replicationBlocked": false,
"sentLSN": "0/3E1A700",
"sentLagBytes": 0,
"sentLagSize": "0 bytes",
"state": "streaming",
"status": {
"code": "d",
"description": "down"
},
"writeLSN": "0/3E1A700",
"writeLag": "00:00:00.000856",
"writeLagBytes": 0,
"writeLagSize": "0 bytes"
},
"summary": "BAD:node is inactive"
},
"f50adf6919c047f0b83c2bf73553f962": {
"clusterErrors": null,
"nodeInfo": {
"host": "18.234.75.110",
"isThisNode": true,
"nodeID": "f50adf6919c047f0b83c2bf73553f962",
"port": 5432,
"publicAddress": "18.234.75.110",
"status": {
"code": "r",
"description": "ready"
}
},
"summary": "GOOD"
}
},
"lastUpdated": "2022-08-24T06:21:05.581794Z"
}
}
}
The response displays:
summary of each node
cluster error information, if any
human readable consolidated summary
last updated information
Join a Node to a Cluster
You can join a node to a cluster in one command or three commands.
During cluster join, the node's data is reset and synchronized with the cluster. This means that restoring a backup to the node is unnecessary.
Starting in version 2.12, CipherTrust Manager enforces that the joining node must be the same firmware version as the nodes already in the cluster. For example, if you attempt to join a node running 2.11 firmware to a cluster of nodes with 2.12 firmware, the join operation fails.
Note
The ksctl commands to join a node require an IP address (or hostname) of both the cluster member and of the joining node. These IP addresses and hostnames are used by the nodes to talk to each other, and not by the CLI to talk to the nodes. For example, in AWS deployments, if the nodes are on the same VPC, the internal IP address of the member and joining node should be used, not a public IP.
Additionally, to successfully join a cluster, a CipherTrust Manager's hostname can consist only of lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens. The default hostname of ciphertrust meets these criteria. The ksadmin user can view and change the hostname with the kscfg utility.
One Step Cluster Join Using fulljoin
It is simplest to use the fulljoin command to join a node. For the cluster fulljoin command, you are required to input a member's IP or DNS, the joining node's IP or DNS, and either the joining node's configuration file, or its username, password, and URL. To complete the process using the fulljoin command enter the command:
$ ksctl cluster fulljoin --member=<member_IP_or_DNS> --newnodehost=<joining_IP_or_DNS> --newnodeconfig=<config_File_of_Joining_Node>.
As with the individual commands, you must wait until the join operation has completed and the node status is ready before joining another node.
An example of the cluster fulljoin command using a configuration file:
$ ksctl cluster fulljoin --member=memberIPOrDNS --newnodehost=joiningIPOrDNS --newnodeconfig=configFileOfJoiningNode
Response:
When you add a node to a cluster, the existing data of the node is deleted. Are you sure want to join? [y/N]
Attempting to get the CSR from the joining node...
Finished getting the CSR from the joining node...
Attempting to get the Certificate and CA Chain from the member node...
Finished getting the Certificate and CA Chain from the member node...
Attemping to join the new node to the member's cluster...
{
"nodeID": "",
"status": {
"code": "creating",
"description": "joining: creating (1/5)"
}
}
When a node joins a cluster, the node adopts the credentials of the cluster. Would you like to write the new cluster credentials
to the provided configuration file? [y/N]
y
An example of the cluster fulljoin command without using a configuration file:
$ ksctl cluster fulljoin --member=memberIPOrDNS --newnodehost=joiningIPOrDNS --newnodepass=joiningNodePass --newnodeuser=joiningNodeUser --newnodeurl=joiningNodeURL
Response:
When you add a node to a cluster, the existing data of the node is deleted. Are you sure want to join? [y/N]
y
Attempting to get the CSR from the joining node...
Finished getting the CSR from the joining node...
Attempting to get the Certificate and CA Chain from the member node...
Finished getting the Certificate and CA Chain from the member node...
Attemping to join the new node to the member's cluster...
{
"nodeID": "",
"status": {
"code": "creating",
"description": "joining: creating (1/5)"
}
}
Three Step Cluster Join
Get the csr from the joining node by entering the command ksctl cluster csr
Get the certificate and CA chain from a member node by entering the command ksctl cluster nodes create
Run the join command from the joining node by entering the command ksctl cluster join
Caution
If you have recently restored a backup on the CipherTrust Manager, make sure the restore operation is complete and all services are up and running. Then, you can join the CipherTrust Manager to a cluster. If you join a cluster before restore is complete, this can result in other nodes in the cluster failing to reboot.
Caution
The join operation might take some time to complete, depending on network speed and database size. Completion times of 30 minutes are not unusual.
While a join is underway, do not restart the system, as this can cause the join to fail, and the node to disappear from the cluster. There is no need to manually restart the system after join is completed as well.
You can always view the node status to check progress while a join is underway. During the join, the node displays ajoiningstatus and indicates progress through five stages:creating,bootstrapping,initial sync,catching up, andcompleting; thedownstatus can also appear for a short time. If there is a failure during joining, the node status iskilledorunknown, or a persistentdownstatus.Check that the join operation has completed and that the node status is
readybefore joining another node.
Remove a Node from a Cluster
To remove a node from a cluster, first remove that node from the cluster then delete the cluster configuration on the removed node. Deleting the cluster configuration allows a node to rejoin the original cluster, join another cluster, or create a new cluster.
Remove the node from the cluster. A node cannot remove itself, so you must call this on some other node in the cluster:
$ ksctl cluster nodes delete --id=ebab0738-6e09-4b0d-8c99-850d7f24dfacDelete the cluster configuration on the removed node:
$ ksctl cluster deleteNote
If
ksctl cluster deletedoesn't work for any reason it is always possible to perform a full system reset to ensure any left over data is removed from the node. A node can be reset using theksctl services resetcommand.
Warning
Refer to section Services Reset for important information on using this command.
Rejoin a Node to a Cluster
Before rejoining it is recommended to reset the node.
To reset the node enter the command:
$ ksctl services reset
Warning
Refer to section Services Reset for important information on using this command.
Join the node as described in join a node to a cluster.
Create a New Cluster from a Removed Node
Ensure the node have been successfully removed from the cluster and that ksctl cluster delete has been performed, as described in remove a node from a cluster.
Create a new cluster as described in create a new cluster.
