Load Balancer

Load Balancers allow you to manage and evenly distribute incoming network traffic across multiple backend instances. This ensures high availability, scalability, and optimal resource utilization for your applications. This guide provides detailed instructions to configure and manage Load Balancers within the Qumulus platform.

Creating a Load Balancer

Pre-requisites

• Two active web server instances.

• Security group permitting HTTP (port 80).

1. Navigate and Initiate

• Navigate to Network > Load Balancers

• Click on Get Started and Create Load Balancer Button

2. Basic Setup

• Enter a unique Name for your load balancer

• Select the appropriate VPC

• Select an existing Security Group to manage network traffic permissions

3. Configure the Listener

• Protocol: Select either HTTP (standard web traffic) or HTTPS (secure traffic). If HTTPS is selected, you should pick an existing SSL certificate for protection

• Port: Specify the listening port (default is 80 for HTTP, 443 for HTTPS)

• SSL Certificate: (HTTPS only)

  • Choose an existing certificate from the dropdown.

  • Click Create Certificate to generate a new certificate, if needed.

• HTTP Headers (Optional):

  • X-Forwarded-For: Forward client IP

  • X-Forwarded-Port: Forward original client port

  • X-Forwarded-Proto: Forward the original request protocol

4. Backend Pool Configuration

Configure how traffic is routed to your backend servers:

• Algorithm:

  • Round Robin: Distributes requests evenly among all backend servers

  • Least Connections: Handles traffic by routing it to the server with the fewest active connections

  • Source IP: Keeps sessions continuous by matching IP addresses of each client

• Session Persistence (Optional):

  • None: Every request is routed independently

  • Source IP: Keeps sessions continuous by matching IP addresses of each client

  • HTTP Cookie: Uses browser-based cookies to manage user sessions

  • App Cookie: Uses a specific application-level cookie for persistence

• Click Add Member to include backend instances and specify their respective ports for traffic forwarding.

Health Monitoring

Health checks help verify the responsiveness and reliability of backend instances:

Click on Health Monitor Button and configure:

• Protocol: Select from HTTP, PING, or TCP

• HTTP Method (if HTTP is selected): GET, HEAD, POST, PUT, DELETE.

• Expected Codes:

• Delay (seconds): Amount of time between each checkup

• Max Retries: Retries are performed before an instance is marked as unhealthy

• URL: Specify a URL path (e.g., /status) for HTTP checks

Managing Existing Load Balancers

After creation, manage your load balancers easily:

• Monitor status indicators (e.g., Online, Offline, Pending Create).

• Use the Actions Button to rename, Associate/Diassociate IPs, or Delete your load balancer.

• Regularly review instance health and traffic patterns via the Load Balancer dashboard.

For immediate assistance and troubleshooting, please use the Quick Chat feature available at qumulus.io