Setting Up Redundancy on Optigo Connect Spectra™ Systems with a OneView compatible Router

IMPORTANT:
To follow this guide, your system must be running OneView v4.4.1 (or newer) software and be using a supported router. If you are not using a supported router in your system, please read the application note Setting Up Redundancy on Optigo Connect Spectra™ Systems instead.

If you're reading this article, you likely already know the benefits of having a redundant OT network, but you want a better understanding of how redundancy works in an Optigo Connect Spectra™ (PON-based) system, including how to set everything up. 

Optigo has implemented an 'active/standby' redundancy system, not a 'primary/secondary' system.
In a primary/secondary redundancy system, one system is always the primary and the other system is always the secondary (or backup), which only activates when there is a primary-side failure and then hands back control to the primary system when it has recovered.
An active/standby redundancy system, on the other hand, employs more of a ‘tag team’ approach, where one side takes over if the other side fails and stays active even if the failed side recovers. Optigo's implementation does not give primary responsibility to one redundant management pair (ONS-NC600 + ONS-S8) over the other. Think of them as equal partners. Also, unless there is a total failure of one redundant pair's ONS-NC600 and/or ONS-S8, redundancy is handled laser by laser (OPT port by OPT port). So, it is possible to have some lasers on one aggregation switch in active mode (turned on and passing traffic) and some in protect mode (turned off and not passing traffic, aka standby), with the exact opposite configuration on the other aggregation switch. It is also possible to have the same laser on each system in active mode, if there is, for instance, a break in a fiber ring. In this situation, each aggregation switch would handle the portion of the fiber ring from their laser up to the break.

Before you get started setting up a redundant system, familiarize yourself with the Connect OneView™ User Guide , specifically the initial setup section, and the application note Router Management with OneView™. These two articles will give you a better idea of the steps required to take a single Connect Spectra™ system (ONS-NC600 + ONS-S8) from initial connections to switch registration and router configuration. Just read through these for now and be ready to reference them when you perform the steps below. 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Unbox both pairs of Network Controllers (ONS-NC600), the Aggregation Switches (ONS-S8), the OneView compatible router, and mount them in the rack (or racks if you're separating them). 
   DO NOT POWER THEM UP OR MAKE ANY OTHER CONNECTIONS YET!
   
   
   
2. Determine which system you will initially configure as active (e.g. ONS-S8-1) and which system you will initially configure as protect (e.g. ONS-S8-2). 
   
   When physically labeling these systems or naming them in OneView, it is best to not include their initial redundancy mode (active or protect), because it is ultimately meaningless and could actually be confusing if there's an event. For example, if an active system loses power temporarily, upon restart it will switch to protect mode and stay that way until another event causes it to switch back to active mode, which may never happen.
   
   
   
3. Set up the ONS-S8-1 system as per the Initial OneView Setup guide, but STOP AFTER STEP 8!
   
   
   
4. It is important that you followed step 8 in the Initial OneView Setup guide and change the management VLAN of both OneView systems to something other than 1 (e.g. 10). If the management VLAN is still VLAN 1, please go back and change it.
   
   NOTE:
   The steps in the guide assume that you have set the management VLAN to VLAN 10. However, if your system is using a different VLAN for management, substitute VLAN 10 with the VLAN you have chosen.
   
   
   
5. On the ONS-S8-1 system, enable redundancy:
   
   - Go to Systems > Lasers and click the 'Edit' button in Redundancy Settings.
   
   
   
   - Select Strict for the Unit Redundancy Mode.
   - Enter the Peer IP Address for the ONS-S8-2 system (its intended management IP address).
   - Click the 'Save' button.
   
   
   
   
   
6. Power on the router. Wait two minutes for it to finish initializing.
   
   NOTE:
   Make sure the router has been reset to default settings or it will not be discovered by OneView.
   
   
   
7. Connect port 2 of the router to port d7 of ONS-S8-1.
   
   
   
8. Wait for the 'Router Status' widget to appear in the 'Status' page of ONS-S8-1.
   The sidebar will also change after the router connects (e.g. 'VLANs' will change to 'VLANs & Subnets').
   
   
   
   
9. Navigate to 'VLANs & Subnets' on ONS-S8-1. Add a VLAN 10 entry and include a subnet. It is recommended to use the same subnet as the OneView systems' management IP addresses.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
10. Set up the ONS-S8-2 system as per the Initial OneView Setup guide, but STOP AFTER STEP 8!
    
    Make sure ONS-S8-2 uses the same management VLAN as ONS-S8-1: VLAN 10
    
    
    
11. On the ONS-S8-2 system, disable all 8 lasers (OPT 1 - OPT 8): System > Lasers
    
    
    
    
    
12. On the ONS-S8-2 system, enable redundancy:
    
    - Go to Systems > Lasers and click the 'Edit' button in Redundancy Settings.
    - Select Strict for the Unit Redundancy Mode.
    - Enter the Peer IP Address for the ONS-S8-1 system (its management IP address).
    - Click the 'Save' button.
    
    
    
    
    
13. If ONS-S8-1 and ONS-S8-2 are currently connected to the same network, disconnect ONS-S8-2 from the network.
    
    
14. Connect port 3 of the router to port d7 of ONS-S8-2.
    
    
    
15. Wait for the 'Router Status' widget to appear in the 'Status' page of ONS-S8-2.
    
    
    
    While waiting, you may see either of the following messages:
    
        Router non-factory default IP address detected but login was unsuccessful. If this is not a redundant system, please factory reset the router. Otherwise please wait for redundancy to automatically sync router information.
    
        The router was not configured because the existing router settings seem to be newer than the saved database settings. This is likely a redundant OneView system and you may need to sync from the peer. If this is not the case, please try factory resetting your router or contact Optigo support.
    
    You can ignore these messages if you are in the middle of setting up a redundant system.
    
    
    
16. On both the ONS-S8-1 and ONS-S8-2 systems, confirm that the Peer Connection status is connected (i.e. both ONS-S8 systems can see each other).
    
    
    The ONS-S8-1 system can see the ONS-S8-2 system (10.12.21.102).
    
    
    The ONS-S8-2 system can see the ONS-S8-1 system (10.12.21.101).
    
    
    
17. On the ONS-S8-2 system, perform steps 9 and 10 in the Initial OneView Setup guide.
    
    
    
18. On the ONS-S8-2 system, confirm that NO edge switches have registered.
    
    
    
    
    
19. On the ONS-S8-1 system, perform steps 9 and 10 in the Initial OneView Setup guide. 
    
    
    
20. On the ONS-S8-1 system, confirm that all of the edge switches register properly and resolve any issues (e.g. fiber, attenuation, etc).
    
    
    
    
    
21. On the ONS-S8-1 system, click on the 'Sync Config DB' button to sync the database from the ONS-S8-1 system to the ONS-S8-2 system.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
22. On the ONS-S8-2 system, go to the Edge Switches page (you may have to refresh your browser) and confirm that it is populated with Edge Switches and looks almost identical to the ONS-S8-1 system's 'Edge Switches' page, except that all of the lasers on the ONS-S8-2 system should be in 'peer' mode (i.e. protect).
    
    
    
    
    
23. On the ONS-S8-1 system, disable all 8 lasers (OPT 1 - OPT 8): System > Lasers
    
    
    
    
    
24. On the ONS-S8-1 system, go to the Edge Switches page (you may have to refresh your browser) and confirm that all of the Edge Switches are now disconnected.
    
    
    
    
    
25. On the ONS-S8-2 system, enable all 8 lasers (OPT 1 - OPT 8): System > Lasers
    
    
    
    
    
26. On the ONS-S8-2 system, confirm that all of the Edge Switches register properly and resolve any issues (e.g. fiber, attenuation, etc).
    
    
    
    
    
27. On the ONS-S8-2 system, verify that all of the Optical Ports are set to active with a yellow 'Swap Active' button below each OPT port at the bottom.
    
    
    
    
    
28. On the ONS-S8-1 system, enable all 8 lasers (OPT 1 - OPT 8): System > Lasers
    
    
    
    
    
29. On the ONS-S8-1 system, verify that all of the Optical Ports are set to protect with a grayed-out 'Swap Active' button below each OPT port at the bottom.
    
    
    
    
    
30. On the ONS-S8-2 system, verify that all Edge Switches are still registered properly and there are no issues.
    
    
    
    
    
31. Disable all 8 lasers (OPT 1 - OPT 8) on the ONS-S8-2 system: System > Lasers
    
    
    
    
    
32. On the ONS-S8-1 system, verify that all of the Optical Ports are set to active with a yellow 'Swap Active' button below each OPT port at the bottom.
    
    
    
    
    
33. On the ONS-S8-1 system, verify that all edge switches are registered properly and there are no issues.
    
    
    
    
    
34. On the ONS-S8-2 system, enable all 8 lasers (OPT 1 - OPT 8): System > Lasers
    
    
    
    
    
35. On the ONS-S8-2 system, verify that all of the Optical Ports are set to protect with a grayed-out 'Swap Active' button below each OPT port at the bottom.
    
    

Both sides of your redundant Connect Spectra™ system should now be set up correctly and ready for OT devices to be added to the Edge Switch ports. As you do this, please ensure that the lasers on the ONS-S8-1 aggregation switch are kept in 'Active' mode at all times and periodically sync the ONS-S8-1 configuration database to the ONS-S8-2 system. If you inadvertently do something to cause the redundancy status to swap (e.g. ONS-S8-1's OPT 4 laser switches to protect mode and ONS-S8-2's OPT 4 laser switches to active mode), simply disable the laser on the ONS-S8-2 Aggregation Switch, wait for the redundancy status to swap back, and then re-enable the laser.

Once all of the OT devices on the network are operating correctly, make sure to sync the configuration database from the ONS-S8-1 system to the ONS-S8-2 system one more time. 

Then, just let the everything take care of itself.