BIG-IP® DNS: Load Balancing

Version 12.0
 Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Legal Notices..............................................................................................................................5
Legal notices......................................................................................................................5

About Global Server Load Balancing.......................................................................................7

Introducing BIG-IP DNS.....................................................................................................7
About global server load balancing....................................................................................7
Static load balancing methods................................................................................7
Dynamic load balancing methods...........................................................................9
About load balancing and resource availability................................................................11
About virtual server dependency...........................................................................11
Configuring virtual server availability to be dependent on the status of other
virtual servers...................................................................................................11
Limit settings for resource availability....................................................................12
About wide IP-level load balancing..................................................................................12
About the Global Availability load balancing method.............................................12
About the Ratio load balancing method................................................................13
About the Round Robin load balancing method....................................................14
About pool-level load balancing.......................................................................................14
About the Drop Packet load balancing method.....................................................14
About the Virtual Server Score load balancing method........................................15
About the Virtual Server Capacity load balancing method....................................15
About the Round Trip Times load balancing method.............................................15
About the Packet Rate load balancing method.....................................................15
About the Least Connections load balancing method...........................................15
About the Kilobyte/Second load balancing method...............................................15
About the Hops load balancing method................................................................16
About the Completion Rate load balancing method..............................................16
About the CPU load balancing method.................................................................16
About the Return to DNS load balancing method.................................................16
About Static Persist load balancing.......................................................................16
About the Fallback IP load balancing method.......................................................16
About the None load balancing method................................................................17
About the QoS load balancing method..................................................................17
About dynamic ratio load balancing......................................................................19
Using the preferred load balancing method when metrics are unavailable...........20
Configuring the resources in a pool for manual resume........................................20
Restoring availability of a pool member manually.................................................21
Best Practices: Dynamic load balancing and performance configuration........................21

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Table of Contents

Using Topology Load Balancing to Distribute DNS Requests to Specific Resources.......23

How do I configure BIG-IP DNS to load balance DNS requests to specific
resources?..................................................................................................................23
About Topology load balancing........................................................................................23
Understanding topology records...........................................................................23
Understanding how the BIG-IP system prioritizes topology records.....................24
Creating a topology record....................................................................................26
Deleting a topology record....................................................................................27
About Topology load balancing for a wide IP...................................................................27
Example configuration: Topology load balancing for a wide IP.............................27
Configuring a wide IP for Topology load balancing...............................................29
About Topology load balancing for a pool........................................................................30
Example configuration: Topology load balancing for a pool..................................30
Configuring a pool for Topology load balancing....................................................32
About Topology load balancing for both wide IPs and pools............................................32
About Topology load balancing for CNAME wide IPs and pools......................................33
About IP geolocation data................................................................................................33
About topology records and IP geolocation data...................................................33
Downloading and installing updates to the IP geolocation data............................33
Reloading default geolocation data using the Configuration utility........................34
Reloading default geolocation data using tmsh.....................................................34

Preparing BIG-IP DNS for Static Persist Load Balancing for Transaction-Oriented
Traffic....................................................................................................................................37
About Static Persist load balancing..................................................................................37
About configuring BIG-IP DNS to provide Static Persist load balancing ..............37
Configuring CIDR options for Static Persist load balancing..................................37

4
Legal Notices

Legal notices

Publication Date
This document was published on February 8, 2016.

Publication Number
MAN-0593-00

Copyright
Copyright © 2015-2016, F5 Networks, Inc. All rights reserved.
F5 Networks, Inc. (F5) believes the information it furnishes to be accurate and reliable. However, F5 assumes
no responsibility for the use of this information, nor any infringement of patents or other rights of third
parties which may result from its use. No license is granted by implication or otherwise under any patent,
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licenses. F5 reserves the right to change specifications at any time without notice.

Trademarks
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Routing, AFM, APM, Application Acceleration Manager, Application Security Manager, AskF5, ASM,
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Legal Notices

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This product may include cryptographic software. Under the Export Administration Act, the United States
government may consider it a criminal offense to export this product from the United States.

RF Interference Warning
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Information Technology products at the time of manufacture.

6
About Global Server Load Balancing

Introducing BIG-IP DNS

BIG-IP® DNS (formerly GTM™) is a system that monitors the availability and performance of global
resources and uses that information to manage network traffic patterns. BIG-IP DNS uses load balancing
algorithms, topology-based routing, and iRules® to control and distribute traffic according to specific policies.

About global server load balancing

BIG-IP® DNS provides tiered global server load balancing (GSLB). BIG-IP DNS distributes DNS name
resolution requests, first to the best available pool in a wide IP, and then to the best available virtual server
within that pool. BIG-IP DNS selects the best available resource using either a static or a dynamic load
balancing method. Using a static load balancing method, BIG-IP DNS selects a resource based on a
pre-defined pattern. Using a dynamic load balancing method, BIG-IP DNS selects a resource based on
current performance metrics collected by the big3d agents running in each data center.

Static load balancing methods

This table describes the static load balancing methods available in BIG-IP® DNS.

Name Description Recommended Use Wide IP Preferred Alternate Fallback

Load Method Method Method
Balancing
Drop BIG-IP DNS drops the DNS request. Use Drop Packet for No Yes Yes Yes
Packet the Alternate load
balancing method when
you want to ensure that
BIG-IP DNS does not
offer in a response a
virtual server that is
potentially unavailable.
Fallback IP BIG-IP DNS distributes DNS name Use Fallback IP for the No No No Yes
resolution requests to a virtual server fallback load balancing
that you specify. This virtual server method when you want
is not monitored for availability. BIG-IP DNS to return a
disaster recovery site
when the preferred and
alternate load balancing
methods do not return
an available virtual
server.
About Global Server Load Balancing

Name Description Recommended Use Wide IP Preferred Alternate Fallback

Load Method Method Method
Balancing
Global BIG-IP DNS distributes DNS name Use Global Availability Yes Yes Yes Yes
Availability resolution requests to the first when you have specific
available virtual server in a pool. virtual servers that you
BIG-IP DNS starts at the top of a want to handle most of
manually configured list of virtual the requests.
servers and sends requests to the first
available virtual server in the list.
Only when the virtual server becomes
unavailable does BIG-IP DNS send
requests to the next virtual server in
the list. Over time, the first virtual
server in the list receives the most
requests and the last virtual server in
the list receives the least requests.
None BIG-IP DNS distributes DNS name Use None for the No No Yes Yes
resolution requests skipping either the alternate and fallback
next available pool in a multiple pool methods when you want
configuration or the current load to limit each pool to a
balancing method. If all pools are single load balancing
unavailable, BIG-IP DNS returns an method. If the preferred
aggregate of the IP addresses of all load balancing method
the virtual servers in the pool using fails, BIG-IP DNS
BIND. offers the next pool in a
load balancing response.
Ratio Use Ratio when you Yes Yes Yes Yes
Important: This functionality is not
want to send twice as
currently available in the U.S.
many connections to a
BIG-IP DNS distributes DNS name fast server and half as
resolution requests among the virtual many connections to a
servers in a pool or among pools in a slow server.
multiple pool configuration using
weighted round robin, a load
balancing pattern in which requests
are distributed among several
resources based on a priority level or
weight assigned to each resource.
Return to BIG-IP DNS immediately distributes Use Return to DNS No Yes Yes Yes
DNS DNS name resolution requests to an when you want to
LDNS for resolution. temporarily remove a
pool from service. You
can also use Return to
DNS when you want to
limit a pool in a single
pool configuration to
only one or two load
balancing attempts.
Round Use Round Robin Yes Yes Yes Yes
Important: This functionality is not
Robin when you want to
currently available in the U.S.
distribute requests

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 BIG-IP® DNS: Load Balancing

Name Description Recommended Use Wide IP Preferred Alternate Fallback

Load Method Method Method
Balancing
BIG-IP DNS distributes DNS name equally among all
resolution requests in a circular and virtual servers in a pool.
sequential pattern among the virtual
servers in a pool. Over time each
virtual server receives an equal
number of requests.
Static BIG-IP DNS distributes DNS name Use Static Persist when No Yes Yes Yes
Persist resolution requests to the first you want requests from
available virtual server in a pool using a specific LDNS to
the persist mask with the source IP resolve to a specific
address of the LDNS and a hash virtual server.
algorithm to determine the order of
the virtual servers in the list. This
hash algorithm orders the virtual
servers in the list differently for each
LDNS that is passing traffic to the
system taking into account the
specified CIDR of the LDNS. Each
LDNS (and thus each client)
generally resolves to the same virtual
server; however, when the selected
virtual server becomes unavailable,
BIG-IP DNS sends requests to
another virtual server until the
original virtual server becomes
available. Then BIG-IP DNS again
resolves requests to that virtual server.
Topology BIG-IP DNS distributes DNS name Use Topology when Yes Yes Yes Yes
resolution requests using you want to send
proximity-based load balancing. requests from a client in
BIG-IP DNS determines the a particular geographic
proximity of the resource by region to a data center
comparing location information or server located in that
derived from the DNS message to the region.
topology records in a topology
statement you have configured.

Dynamic load balancing methods

This table describes the dynamic load balancing methods available in BIG-IP® DNS.

Name Description Wide IP Preferred Alternate Fallback

load method method method
balancing
Completion Rate BIG-IP® DNS distributes DNS name resolution No Yes No Yes
requests to the virtual server that currently
maintains the least number of dropped or timed-out
packets during a transaction between a data center
and the client's LDNS.

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About Global Server Load Balancing

Name Description Wide IP Preferred Alternate Fallback

load method method method
balancing
CPU BIG-IP DNS distributes DNS name resolution No Yes No Yes
requests to the virtual server that currently has the
most CPU processing time available.
Hops BIG-IP DNS distributes DNS name resolution No Yes No Yes
requests to a virtual server in the data center that
has the fewest router hops from the client's LDNS.
BIG-IP DNS uses the traceroute utility to track the
number of router hops between a client's LDNS and
each data center.
Kilobytes/Second BIG-IP DNS distributes DNS name resolution No Yes No Yes
requests to the virtual server that is currently
processing the fewest number of kilobytes per
second. Use Kilobytes/Second only with virtual
servers for which BIG-IP DNS can collect the
kilobytes per second metric.
Least Connections BIG-IP DNS distributes DNS name resolution No Yes No Yes
requests to virtual servers on BIG-IP® Local Traffic
Manager™ (LTM®) that currently hosts the fewest
connections. Use Least Connections only with
LTM servers.
Packet Rate BIG-IP DNS distributes DNS name resolution No Yes Yes Yes
requests to the virtual server that is currently
processing the fewest number of packets per second.
Quality of Service BIG-IP DNS distributes DNS name resolution No Yes No Yes
requests to virtual servers based on a score assigned
to each virtual server that is calculated from current
performance metrics. Use Quality of Service only
when you have configured BIG-IP DNS to calculate
an overall score for each virtual server based on
performance metrics.
Round Trip Time BIG-IP DNS distributes DNS name resolution No Yes No Yes
requests to the virtual server with the fastest
measured round trip time between a data center and
a client's LDNS.
Virtual Server BIG-IP DNS distributes DNS name resolution No Yes Yes Yes
Score requests to virtual servers on LTM based on a
user-defined ranking. Use Virtual Server Score
only with LTM systems on which you have
assigned scores to each virtual server.
Virtual Server BIG-IP DNS distributes DNS name resolution No Yes Yes Yes
Capacity requests to virtual servers in a list that are weighted
by the number of available virtual servers in the
pool. Use Virtual Server Capacity for load
balancing virtual servers managed by LTM
Systems. BIG-IP DNS selects a virtual server that
has the most available (UP) members. When
selecting a virtual server from a wide IP pool and
two or more virtual servers result in equal scores,

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 BIG-IP® DNS: Load Balancing

Name Description Wide IP Preferred Alternate Fallback

load method method method
balancing
BIG-IP DNS will return one of the equal scored
virtual servers randomly.

About load balancing and resource availability

BIG-IP® DNS load balances DNS name resolution requests to resources based on availability. A resource
is available when it meets one or more pre-defined requirements. BIG-IP DNS uses three methods to
determine resource availability: a dependency on another resource, limit settings, or a set of values returned
by a monitor. When BIG-IP DNS considers a resource unavailable, BIG-IP DNS attempts to select the next
resource based on the current load balancing method.

About virtual server dependency

Within BIG-IP® DNS, you can configure a virtual server to be available based on the availability of other
virtual servers.

Consider the fictional company SiteRequest. One of the servers, serverMain, at the Tokyo data center has
two virtual servers: vsContact, which points to the contacts page of the web site, and vsMail, which points
to the mail system. The vsMail virtual server is in the Dependency List of the vsContact virtual server. As
a result, BIG-IP DNS considers the vsContact virtual server available only if the vsMail virtual server is
also available.

Configuring virtual server availability to be dependent on the status of other virtual servers
Ensure that multiple virtual servers are configured on the server. Determine the virtual servers upon which
you want the availability of a virtual server to be dependent.
Configure a virtual server to be available based on the availability of other virtual servers by configuring a
Dependency List for the virtual server.
1. On the Main tab, click DNS > GSLB > Servers.
The Server List screen opens.
2. In the Server List, click a server name.
The server settings and values display.
3. On the menu bar, click Virtual Servers.
A list of the virtual servers configured on the server displays.
4. In the Virtual Servers list, click a virtual server name.
The virtual server settings and values display.
5. From the Configuration list, select Advanced.
Additional controls display on the screen.
6. In the Dependency List area, from the Virtual Servers list, select each virtual server on which you want
the virtual server to be dependent, and then click Add.
The virtual servers display in the list as you add them.
7. Click Finished.

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About Global Server Load Balancing

The virtual server is now available only when the virtual servers on the dependency list are also available.

Limit settings for resource availability

This table describes the limit settings BIG-IP® DNS uses to determine resource availability. A limit setting
is a threshold for a statistic associated with a system.

Limit Server-level Pool-level Virtual BIG-IP Other Load Hosts

setting Server-level Systems Balancers
Maximum Y Y Y Y Y Y
allowable
throughput in
bits per
second
Packets Y Y Y Y Y Y
Current Y Y Y Y Y Y
connections
Connection N N Y Y N N
CPU Y N N N Y Y
Memory Y N N N Y Y

About wide IP-level load balancing

BIG-IP® DNS selects pools based on the order in which they are listed in a wide IP. When you organize
pools in conjunction with the Global Availability, Ratio, Round Robin, and Topology load balancing
methods, consider the order in which the pools are listed in the Pool List.

The Global Availability load balancing method instructs BIG-IP DNS to select the first pool in the wide IP
pool list until it becomes unavailable, and then to select the next pool in the list until the first pool becomes
available again. This ensures that the most robust pool receives DNS name resolution requests, while the
other pools act as backups in case the primary pool becomes unavailable.

About the Global Availability load balancing method

The Global Availability load balancing method distributes DNS name resolution requests based on the order
of resources in a list. Using global availability, BIG-IP® DNS sends a request to the first available resource
in a list. Only when a resource becomes unavailable does BIG-IP DNS send requests to the next resource
in the list. Over time, the first resource in the list receives the most requests and the last resource in the list
receives the least requests.

Testing global server load balancing without verifying availability of virtual servers

You can configure BIG-IP DNS load balancing in a staging environment to load balance DNS name resolution
requests to virtual servers without verifying the availability of the virtual servers.

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 BIG-IP® DNS: Load Balancing

1. On the Main tab, click DNS > Settings > GSLB > Load Balancing.
The Load Balancing configuration screen opens.
2. Deselect the Verify Virtual Server Availability check box.
3. Click Update.

About the Ratio load balancing method

Important: This functionality is not currently available in the U.S.

The Ratio load balancing method distributes DNS name resolution requests among the virtual servers in a
pool or among pools in a multiple pool configuration using weighted round robin, a load balancing pattern
in which requests are distributed among several resources based on a priority level or weight assigned to
each resource.

Using the Ratio method, you can configure BIG-IP® DNS to send twice as many connections to a fast, new
server, and half as many connections to an older, slower server.

About wide IPs and weighting pools for the Ratio load balancing method

When you configure a wide IP to use the Ratio load balancing method, BIG-IP®DNS load balances DNS
name resolution requests across the pools in the wide IP based on the weight assigned to each pool. BIG-IP
DNS uses pool weight as a percentage of the total of the weights of all the pools in the wide IP to determine
the frequency at which a pool receives connection requests.

Consider the fictional company SiteRequest, where the wide IP www.siterequest.com contains three
pools, with the following weight assignments:
• Pool 1: weight 50
• Pool 2: weight 25
• Pool 3: weight 25
Each time BIG-IP DNS selects this wide IP, it load balances DNS name resolution requests across all three
pools. Over time, the load balancing statistics for this wide IP appear as follows:
• Pool 1: selected 50 percent of the time
• Pool 2: selected 25 percent of the time
• Pool 3: selected 25 percent of the time

About pools and weighting pool members for the Ratio load balancing method

When you configure a pool to use the Ratio load balancing method, BIG-IP® DNS, formerly Global Traffic
Manager™ (GTM™), load balances requests across the pool members based on the weight assigned to each
pool member (virtual server). The system uses pool member weight as a percentage of the total of the
weights of all the members assigned to the pool to determine the frequency at which a pool member receives
connection requests.

Consider the fictional company SiteRequest, where the wide IP www.siterequest.com contains a pool
named poolMain. This pool contains three members, with the following weight assignments:
• Virtual Server 1: weight 50

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About Global Server Load Balancing

• Virtual Server 2: weight 25

• Virtual Server 3: weight 25
Each time BIG-IP DNS selects this pool, it load balances across all three members. Over time, the load
balancing statistics for this pool appear as follows:
• Virtual Server 1: selected 50 percent of the time
• Virtual Server 2: selected 25 percent of the time
• Virtual Server 3: selected 25 percent of the time

About the Round Robin load balancing method

Important: This functionality is not currently available in the U.S.

The Round Robin load balancing method distributes DNS name resolution requests in a circular and sequential
pattern among the virtual servers in a pool. Over time, each virtual server receives an equal number of
connections.

About pool-level load balancing

BIG-IP® DNS provides three tiers of pool-level load balancing to identify a virtual server to handle a DNS
name resolution request.

Preferred Load Balancing Method

The first load balancing method BIG-IP DNS uses to return the IP address of a virtual server in response
to a DNS name resolution request. The preferred method can be either static or dynamic.

Alternate Load Balancing Method

If the preferred load balancing method fails to return a valid resource in response to a DNS name
resolution request, it is likely that BIG-IP DNS was unable to acquire the proper metrics to perform
load balancing. The alternate method can be only static.

Fallback Load Balancing Method

If the alternate load balancing method fails to return a valid resource in response to a DNS name resolution
request, BIG-IP DNS uses the fallback method. To ensure that BIG-IP DNS returns a response to a
request, the fallback method ignores the availability status of a resource. The fallback method can be
either static or dynamic.
If all of the configured load balancing methods fail to provide a valid resource in response to a DNS name
resolution request, either the request fails or BIG-IP DNS uses the local BIND to resolve the request.

About the Drop Packet load balancing method

The Drop Packet load balancing method indicates that BIG-IP® DNS drops a DNS name resolution request.
This load balancing method is most often selected for the Alternate load balancing method to ensure that
BIG-IP DNS does note return an IP address for an unavailable resource.

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 BIG-IP® DNS: Load Balancing

About the Virtual Server Score load balancing method

The Virtual Server Score load balancing method distributes DNS name resolution requests to pool members
(virtual servers) based on a user-defined ranking system.

Note: This method can be used only for distributing requests to pool members controlled by BIG-IP® Local
Traffic Manager™ (LTM™) systems.

About the Virtual Server Capacity load balancing method

The Virtual Server Capacity load balancing method distributes DNS name resolution requests to pool
members (virtual servers) based on a system-generated list of pool members (virtual servers) weighted by
capacity. BIG-IP DNS selects the pool member with the greatest capacity most often, but over time, all pool
members are returned in responses. When pool members have the same capacity, BIG-IP DNS uses the
Round Robin method to select a pool member.

About the Round Trip Times load balancing method

The Round Trip Times load balancing method distributes DNS name resolution requests to the pool member
(virtual server) with the fastest measured round trip time between a data center and a client's LDNS.

About the Packet Rate load balancing method

The Packet Rate load balancing method distributes DNS name resolution requests to the pool member
(virtual server) that is currently processing the fewest number of packets per second.

About the Least Connections load balancing method

The Least Connections load balancing method distributes DNS name resolution requests to pool members
(virtual servers) that are managed by load balancing servers, such as BIG-IP® Local Traffic Manager™
(LTM™). BIG-IP DNS selects a pool member that currently hosts the fewest connections.

About the Kilobyte/Second load balancing method

The Kilobyte/Second load balancing method distributes DNS name resolution requests to the pool member
(virtual server) that is currently processing the fewest number of kilobytes per second.

Note: This method can be used only with servers for which BIG-IP DNS can collect the kilobytes per second
metric.

15
About Global Server Load Balancing

About the Hops load balancing method

The Hops load balancing method distributes DNS name resolution requests based on the traceroute
utility and tracks the number of intermediate system transitions (router hops) between a client's LDNS and
each data center. BIG-IP DNS distributes requests to a pool member in the data center that is the fewest
router hops from the LDNS.

About the Completion Rate load balancing method

The Completion Rate load balancing method distributes DNS name resolution requests to the pool member
(virtual server) that currently maintains the least number of dropped or timed-out packets during a transaction
between a pool member in a data center and the client's LDNS.

About the CPU load balancing method

The CPU load balancing method distributes DNS name resolution requests to the pool member (virtual
server) that currently has the most CPU processing time available.

About the Return to DNS load balancing method

The Return to DNS load balancing method immediately returns DNS name resolution requests to the LDNS
for resolution. When you use this load balancing method, for client queries, the BIG-iP system increments
the Return to DNS statistics; otherwise, the system increments the Return from DNS statistics.

Use this method when you want to temporarily remove a pool from service or when you want to limit a
pool, in a single pool configuration, to only one or two request attempts.

About Static Persist load balancing

The Static Persist load balancing method uses the persist mask, with the source IP address of the LDNS, in
a deterministic algorithm to send requests to a specific pool member (virtual server). Using this method,
BIG-IP® DNS sends DNS name resolution requests to the first available pool member based on a hash
algorithm that determines the order of the pool members. This algorithm orders the pool members differently
for each LDNS that is sending requests to BIG-IP DNS, taking into account the Classless Inter-Domain
Routing (CIDR) of the LDNS. As BIG-IP DNS distributes requests across all pool members, requests from
each LDNS (and thus, each client) are generally sent to the same pool member. When the selected pool
member becomes unavailable, BIG-IP DNS sends requests to another pool member. When the original pool
member becomes available again, BIG-IP DNS sends requests to that pool member.

About the Fallback IP load balancing method

The Fallback IP load balancing method distributes DNS name resolution requests to a specific user-specified
IP address. This IP address is not monitored for availability. Use this load balancing method only for the
Fallback IP method and specifically to provide a disaster recovery site.

16
 BIG-IP® DNS: Load Balancing

Verifying the availability of virtual servers when using the fallback load balancing method

You can configure BIG-IP DNS to verify that a virtual server is up before returning the IP address of the
virtual server in a response to a DNS name resolution request. Do this when the preferred and alternate load
balancing methods assigned to a pool do not return a valid response and BIG-IP DNS begins to use the
configured fallback load balancing method.
1. On the Main tab, click DNS > Settings > GSLB > Load Balancing.
The Load Balancing configuration screen opens.
2. Select the Respect Fallback Dependency check box.
3. Click Update.

About the None load balancing method

The None load balancing method skips the current load balancing method, distributes DNS name resolution
requests to the next available pool in a multi-pool configuration.

If the alternate load balancing method for a pool is None, BIG-IP DNS skips the alternate method and
immediately tries the fallback method. If the fallback method is None, and there are multiple pools configured,
BIG-IP DNS uses the next available pool. If all pools are unavailable, BIG-IP DNS returns an aggregate of
the IP addresses of all pool members using BIND. Alternatively, when the preferred method for all pools
is configured, but the alternate and fallback methods are set to None, if the preferred method fails, BIG-IP
DNS uses the next available pool.

About the QoS load balancing method

The Quality of Service (QoS) dynamic load balancing method uses current performance metrics to calculate
an overall QoS score for each pool member (virtual server). When load balancing DNS name resolution
requests, BIG-IP DNS selects a virtual server with the best overall QoS score. If virtual servers have identical
scores, BIG-IP® DNS load balances connections to those virtual servers using the round robin method. If
QoS scores cannot be determined, BIG-IP DNS load balances connections across all pool members using
the round robin method.

Understanding the QoS equation

The equation for calculating the overall Quality of Service (QoS) score is:

POOL_CONFIG->rtt * (GLOBALS->rtt / path->rtt) * 10 +

POOL_CONFIG->hops * (GLOBALS->hops / path->hops) +
POOL_CONFIG->hit_ratio * (path->hit_ratio / GLOBALS->hit_ration+
POOL_CONFIG->packet_rate * (GLOBALS->packet_rate / vs->packet_rate) * 100 +
POOL_CONFIG->bps * (GLOBALS->bps / vs->bps) +
POOL_CONFIG->topology * (topology_match->score / GLOBALS->topology) +
POOL_CONFIG->vs_capacity * vs->cur_serv_cnt +
POOL_CONFIG->vs_score * vs->cur_vs_score +
POOL_CONFIG->lcs * vs->link->lcs * 10

Pool members (virtual servers) inherit the QoS settings from the pool. In the equation, the value of
POOL_CONFIG->"setting name" can be found in the properties of a pool, the value of GLOBALS->"setting
name" in the global BIG-IP DNS setting, and the value of path->"setting name" These are measured values
that come from path metrics. If there are no path metrics, the system does not perform path metric calculations

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About Global Server Load Balancing

and computes the QoS score using the other calculations. vs->"field" These are measured values that come
from measurements the system makes on virtual servers. If there are no measurements, the system does not
perform these calculations and computes the QoS score using the other calculations. Each QoS coefficient,
its scale, default value, upper limit, and whether a higher or lower value is more efficient are defined in the
table.

Table 1: QoS coefficients defined

Coefficient Scale Default value Upper limit Is higher or

lower value more
efficient?
Round trip time (rtt) Microseconds 50 2,000,000 L
Completion rate (hit Percentage of 5 100% H
ratio) successfully
transferred packets
(0-100%)
Hops Number of 0 64 L
intermediate
systems transitions
Packet rate Packets per second 1 700 L
bits/second Bits per second 3 15000 L
throughput
Topology Score that defines 0 100 H
network proximity
by comparing server
and LDNS IP
addresses (0-232)
Virtual server Number of nodes up 0 20 H
capacity (vs
capacity)
Virtual server score User-defined 0 100 H
(vs score) ranking of virtual
servers
Link capacity (lcs) Based on the target 30 2,000,000 H
dynamic ratio

About customizing the QoS equation

When you customize the QoS equation, consider these three concepts:

Scale
The raw metrics for the coefficients in the QoS equation are on different scales. For example, completion
rate is measured in percentages, while packet rate is measured in packets per second.

Normalization
BIG-IP DNS normalizes the raw metrics to values in the range of 0 - 10.

Emphasis
You can adjust coefficients to emphasize one normalized metric over another.

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 BIG-IP® DNS: Load Balancing

When you customize the QoS equation configuration using the values in the table, if the completion rates
for two virtual servers are close, the system chooses the virtual server with the best packet rate. If both the
completion rates and the packet rates are close, the round trip time (RTT) breaks the tie. In this example,
BIG-IP DNS does not use the metrics for topology, hops, link capacity, vs capacity, and kilobytes/second
to determine how to distribute connections.

Note: You can set a value for either RTT or hops. If you set both, BIG-IP DNS incorporates the RTT and
resets the hops to 0 (zero).

Coefficient Value
Round Trip Time 50
Hops 0
Topology 0
Completion Rate 5
Packet Rate 10
VS Capacity 0
Bits/second 35
Link Capacity 30
Virtual Server Score 10
Kilobytes/Second (KBPS) 3

Customizing the QoS equation for load balancing global traffic

Determine the pool to which you want to apply a customized QoS equation.
Customize the QoS equation to load balance the DNS name resolution requests the members of this pool
handle.
1. On the Main tab, click DNS > GSLB > Pools.
2. Click the name of the pool for which you want to modify the QoS equation.
The Pool Properties screen displays.
3. On the menu bar, click Members.
The Members Properties screen displays.
4. Select Quality of Service from either the Preferred or Fallback list.
The Quality of Service Weights area displays.
5. Define the QoS coefficients for this pool.
6. Click Update.

About dynamic ratio load balancing

When you use dynamic ratio load balancing, BIG-IP DNS treats dynamic load balancing values as ratios,
and distributes DNS name resolution requests to the virtual servers in the pool in proportion to these ratios.

Consider a pool named primaryOne, which contains two virtual servers: memberOne and memberTwo.
primaryOne is configured with the Preferred load balancing method set to Round Trip Time. BIG-IP DNS

19
About Global Server Load Balancing

determines that the round trip time for memberOne is 50 microseconds and the round trip time for
memberTwo is 100 microseconds. When the Dynamic Ratio setting on the primaryOne pool is disabled,
BIG-IP DNS always sends DNS name resolution requests to memberOne, because that virtual server has
the lowest round trip time value. When the Dynamic Ratio setting on the primaryOne pool is enabled,
BIG-IP DNS treats the round trip time values as ratios and sends twice as many DNS name resolution
requests to memberOne as it sends to memberTwo, because the round trip time for memberOne is twice as
fast as the round trip time for memberTwo.

Distributing DNS requests based on weighted virtual servers

Determine the pool to which you want to apply the dynamic ratio feature.
Configure BIG-IP DNS to use dynamic load balancing values as ratios, and distribute DNS name resolution
requests to virtual servers in a pool in proportion to these ratios.
1. On the Main tab, click DNS > GSLB > Pools.
The Pools list screen opens.
2. Click the name of the pool that you want to modify.
3. From the Configuration list, select Advanced.
4. Select the Dynamic Ratio check box.
5. Click Update.

Using the preferred load balancing method when metrics are unavailable
Configure BIG-IP DNS to use the preferred load balancing method assigned to a pool even when metrics
for the pool are unavailable. BIG-IP DNS uses old metrics, rather than the alternate load balancing method
assigned to the pool.
1. On the Main tab, click DNS > Settings > GSLB > Load Balancing.
The Load Balancing configuration screen opens.
2. Select the Ignore Path TTL check box.
3. Click Update.

BIG-IP DNS uses path information gathered during metrics collection even if the time-to-live (TTL) value
of that information has expired.

Configuring the resources in a pool for manual resume

Determine the pool to which you want to apply the manual resume feature.
When a virtual server goes offline, BIG-IP DNS proceeds to send DNS name resolution requests to other
virtual servers, based on the current load balancing method. By default, when the virtual server becomes
available again, BIG-IP DNS resumes sending requests to that resource. When you do not want BIG-IP
DNS to resume to send requests to the virtual servers in a pool immediately after the resources become
available, enable the manual resume feature on the pool.
1. On the Main tab, click DNS > GSLB > Pools.
The Pools list screen opens.
2. Click the name of the pool that you want to modify.
3. From the Configuration list, select Advanced.

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 BIG-IP® DNS: Load Balancing

4. Select the Manual Resume check box.

5. Click Update.

After a virtual server in this pool goes offline, you must manually enable the virtual server before BIG-IP
DNS can resume sending requests to the virtual server.

Restoring availability of a pool member manually

Determine the virtual server that you want to manually enable.
When a virtual server in a pool that is configured for manual resume becomes available, you must manually
enable the virtual server before BIG-IP DNS can begin sending DNS name resolution requests to the virtual
server.
1. On the Main tab, click DNS > GSLB > Pools.
The Pools list screen opens.
2. Click the name of the pool to which the virtual server you want to enable belongs.
3. On the menu bar, click Members.
4. Select the check box next to the virtual server that you want to enable, and then click Enable.

The virtual server is now available to receive DNS name resolution requests.

Best Practices: Dynamic load balancing and performance configuration

How do I ensure that the BIG-IP® DNS (formerly GTM) has timely access to path and network
traffic metrics?
Run a big3d agent on at least one BIG-IP® system in each data center to ensure that the BIG-IP DNS has
timely access to path and network traffic metrics.

How do I ensure that BIG-IP DNS can gather information for dynamic load balancing?
If you use dynamic load balancing modes, you must run a big3d agent on every BIG-IP system in your
network.

How do I configure BIG-IP DNS for the best performance?

The load on the big3d agents depends on the timer settings that you assign to the different types of data
the agents collect. The shorter the timers, the more frequently the agent needs to refresh the data. While
short timers guarantee that you always have valid data readily available for load balancing, they also increase
the frequency of data collection.
The more local DNS servers that make resolution requests, the more path data that the big3d agents have
to collect. While round trip time for a given path may vary constantly due to current network load, the
number of hops along a network path between a data center and a specific LDNS does not often change.
Consequently, you may want to set short timer settings for round trip time data so that it refreshes more
often, but set high timer settings for hops data because it does not need to be refreshed often.

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About Global Server Load Balancing

Troubleshooting
If you turn off the big3d agent on a BIG-IP system, the BIG-IP DNS can no longer check the availability
of the server or its virtual servers. Therefore, the statistics screens display the status of these servers as
unknown.

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Using Topology Load Balancing to Distribute DNS Requests
to Specific Resources

How do I configure BIG-IP DNS to load balance DNS requests to specific

resources?
You can configure BIG-IP® DNS to load balance DNS requests to a resource based on the physical proximity
of the resource to the client making the request. You can also configure BIG-IP DNS to deliver region-specific
content, such as news and weather, to a client making a request from a specific location.
You can accomplish this by configuring BIG-IP DNS to perform Topology load balancing.

About Topology load balancing

Topology load balancing distributes DNS name resolution requests based on the proximity of the client to
the data center housing the resource that responds to the request. When Topology load balancing is enabled,
the BIG-IP® system uses topology records to make load balancing decisions.

Understanding topology records

A topology record is a set of characteristics that maps the origin of a DNS name resolution request to a
destination. Each topology record contains the following elements:
• A request source statement that specifies the origin LDNS of a DNS request.
• A destination statement that specifies the pool or pool member to which the weight of the topology
record will be assigned.
• A weight that the BIG-IP® system assigns to a pool or a pool member during the load balancing process.

Note: In tmsh, the weight parameter is called score.

Understanding user-defined regions

A region is a customized collection of topologies that defines a specific geographical location that has
meaning for your network. For example, you can create two custom regions named Region_east and
Region_west. Region_east includes the states on the east coast of the United States. Region_west includes
the states on the west coast of the United States Then, you can use those custom regions as the Request
Source or Destination of a topology record you create.
This table describes how the use of topology regions improves the load-balancing performance of the
BIG-IP® system.
Using Topology Load Balancing to Distribute DNS Requests to Specific Resources

Faster load balancing configuration Slower load balancing configuration

2 data centers 2 data centers
1000 pool members in each data center 1000 pool members in each data center
2 regions with 5000 CIDR entries each
2 topology records: 10,000 topology records:
1 entry routes all requests from Region_east to data 5000 CIDR topology records route requests to data
center1 center1
1 entry routes all requests from Region_west to data 5000 CIDR topology records route requests to data
center2 center2

Creating a region for Topology load balancing

Create regions to customize the Topology load balancing capabilities of the BIG-IP® system. For example,
you can create two regions to represent the data centers in your network: dc1_pools and dc2_pools.
Alternatively, you can create a region to which you can add IP subnets as you expand your network. Then,
when you create a topology record, you can use the custom regions as the Request Source or Destination
of the record.
1. On the Main tab, click DNS > GSLB > Topology > Regions.
2. Click Create.
The new record screen opens.
3. In the Name field, type a unique identifier for the region.
4. To add members to the region, do the following for each member you want to add to the region:
a) From the Member Type list, select a type of identifier.
b) Select an operator, either is or is not.
c) From the Continent list, select the continent that contains the locations in the region you are creating.
d) Click Add.

5. Click Create.

You can now create a topology record using the custom region you created.

Understanding how the BIG-IP system prioritizes topology records

When Topology load balancing is configured, the order of the topology records is vital and affects how the
BIG-IP® system scores the pools or pool members to which it load balances DNS name resolution requests.
By default, the BIG-IP system prioritizes topology records using Longest Match sorting. As a result, topology
records are automatically sorted based on a specific criteria each time the BIG-IP system configuration
loads. Alternatively, you can disable Longest Match sorting and customize the order of the topology records
in the list.

Understanding Longest Match topology record sorting

When Longest Match is enabled, the BIG-IP® system sorts the topology records by the LDNS request source
statement, the destination statement, and the weight of the record.
The system first sorts the topology records by the type of LDNS request source statement using this order
from highest to lowest:

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 BIG-IP® DNS: Load Balancing

1. IP subnet in CIDR format (the system places the most specific IP subnet at the top of the list; for example,
10.15.1.1/32, 10.15.1.0/24, 10.15.0.0/16, 10.0.0.0/8)
2. Region
3. ISP
4. State
5. Country
6. Continent
7. LDNS Request Source negation (record that excludes an LDNS)
8. Wildcard records (the system sorts records that include a wildcard to the bottom of the list, because
these records are the least specific)

If the type of LDNS request source statement is the same in multiple topology records, the BIG-IP system
then sorts these records by the type of destination statement using this order from highest to lowest:
1. IP subnet in CIDR format (the system places the most specific IP subnet at the top of the list; for example,
10.15.1.1/32, 10.15.1.0/24, 10.15.0.0/16, 10.0.0.0/8)
2. Data center
3. Pool
4. Region (customized collection of criteria)
5. ISP
6. State
7. Country
8. Continent
9. Destination negation (record that excludes a destination)
10. Wildcard records (the system sorts records that include a wildcard to the bottom of the list, because
these records are the least specific)

If the type of LDNS request source statement is the same in multiple topology records and the type of
destination statement is the same in those records, the system then uses the value of the weight from lowest
to highest to sort the records.
The example shows a list of topology records sorted automatically using Longest Match. Note that the
fourth and fifth records have the same LDNS subnet and the destinations are both of type State. Therefore,
the weight determines the position in the list; thus, the record with the lower weight is first.

1. ldns: subnet 192.168.69.133/32 destination: subnet 10.15.1.1/32 weight: 500

2. ldns: subnet 192.168.69.133/32 destination: datacenter /Common/NorthAmerica weight: 400
3. ldns: subnet 192.168.69.0/24 destination: pool /Common/NorthAmerica weight 300
4. ldns: subnet 192.168.0.0/16 destination: state WA weight 100
5. ldns: subnet 192.168.0.0/16 destination: state NY weight 200

Customizing the sort order of topology records

Determine the order in which you want the topology records you create to be sorted.
Change the sort order of the topology records when you do not want the system to use the Longest Match
sort order.
1. On the Main tab, click DNS > GSLB > Topology > Records.
2. Click the Change Order button.
3. Clear the Longest Match check box.

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Using Topology Load Balancing to Distribute DNS Requests to Specific Resources

4. To change the order of the records in the Topology Record List, do the following:
a) From the list, select a topology record.
b) Click the Up or Down button to move the record to the preferred position in the list.

5. Click Update.

The BIG-IP system uses the customized Topology Record List for topology load balancing.

Important: The BIG-IP system saves only one set of ordered topology records; if you re-enable Longest
Match, your custom ordering will no longer be available.

Configuring Longest Match

Ensure that topology records exist in the configuration.

Configure the BIG-IP® system to order the topology records using Longest Match.
1. On the Main tab, click DNS > GSLB > Topology > Records.
2. Click the Change Order button.
3. Select the Longest Match check box.
4. Click Update.

The BIG-IP system uses Longest Match sorting to order the topology records in a list.

Creating a topology record

Before you create topology records, it is essential that you understand how the system sorts the topology
record list. Additionally, you must understand how the system uses the ordered list of records to assign
scores to the pools or pool members, to which the BIG-IP® system load balances DNS requests.
Create topology records that instruct the BIG-IP system where to route DNS name resolution requests when
Topology load balancing is enabled.

Tip: The BIG-IP system is more efficient when using regions for Topology load balancing.

1. On the Main tab, click DNS > GSLB > Topology.

2. Click Create.
The new record screen opens.
3. To create an LDNS request source statement, use the Request Source settings:
a) Select an origin type from the first list.
b) Select an operator, either is or is not.
c) Define the criteria for the request source statement based on the request source type you selected.

4. To create a destination (server object) statement, use the Destination settings:

a) Select a destination type from the first list.
b) Select an operator, either is or is not.
c) Define the criteria for the destination statement based on the destination type you selected.

5. In the Weight field, specify the priority of this record.

6. Click Create.

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 BIG-IP® DNS: Load Balancing

Deleting a topology record

Delete existing topology records as your network changes. For example, when you add a new data center
to your network, the topology records that the BIG-IP® system uses to distribute DNS name resolution
requests can become obsolete, requiring deletion.

Note: You cannot modify topology records; you can delete records and create new ones that meet your
needs.

1. On the Main tab, click DNS > GSLB > Topology.

2. Select the topology record that you want to remove from the topology records list by selecting the
corresponding Select check box.
3. Click Delete.
A confirmation screen appears.
4. Click Delete.

About Topology load balancing for a wide IP

When you configure a wide IP for Topology load balancing, you can route DNS requests to the data center
that is closest to the client making the request. With this configuration, the BIG-IP® system load balances
DNS name resolution requests to the pools in a wide IP based on the topology records. (The members of
each pool must be in the same data center.)

Example configuration: Topology load balancing for a wide IP

This example illustrates how DNS name resolution requests are load balanced when a wide IP is configured
for Topology load balancing. An administrator configures the wide IP www.siterequest.net for Topology
load balancing. The wide IP contains three pools: Pool1 and Pool3 are located in the North America data
center; Pool2 is located in the South America data center. Next, the administrator creates topology records,
as shown in this figure, and ensures that Longest Match is enabled on the BIG-IP® system.

Figure 1: Topology records for a wide IP configured for Topology load balancing

The first topology record directs all DNS name resolution requests from an LDNS in the IP subnet
11.1.0.0/16 to Pool1. The second topology record directs all DNS name resolution requests from an
LDNS in the IP subnet 10.1.0.0/16 to Pool2. The third topology record is a wildcard. It directs DNS

27
Using Topology Load Balancing to Distribute DNS Requests to Specific Resources

name resolution requests from an LDNS in any IP subnet to Pool3. However, it is important to note that
the weight of the third topology record is lower than the weights of the other topology records.

Figure 2: BIG-IP system load balancing DNS requests using a wide IP configured for Topology load
balancing

1. A client in New York makes a DNS request.

2. LDNS 11.1.0.1 queries the BIG-IP system in the North America data center.
3. The BIG-IP system directs the LDNS to Pool1. To determine this answer, for each pool, one at a time,
the BIG-IP system iterates through the list of two topology records to find a match. Pool1 matches the
first topology record in the list, because both the LDNS request source (11.1.0.1) and the Destination
(Pool1) of the DNS request match the first topology record; therefore, the BIG-IP system assigns a score
of 100 to Pool1. For Pool2, there is no matching topology record that contains both the LDNS request
source (11.1.0.1) and the Destination (Pool2); therefore, the BIG-IP system assigns a score of zero to
Pool2. Pool3, matches the third topology record in the list, because both the LDNS request source
(11.1.0.1) and the Destination (Pool3) of the DNS request match the third topology record; therefore,
the BIG-IP system assigns a score of 10 to Pool3. The BIG-IP system directs the LDNS to send the
request to the pool with the highest score.
4. The LDNS sends the DNS request to Pool1 in the North America data center. How the system distributes
the DNS requests to the members of Pool1 is not depicted in this illustration, but is based on the load
balancing method configured for Pool1.
5. A client in Lima makes a DNS request.
6. LDNS 10.1.0.1 queries the BIG-IP system in the North America data center.
7. The BIG-IP system directs the LDNS to Pool2. To determine this answer, for each pool, one at a time,
the BIG-IP system iterates through the list of two topology records to find a match. For Pool1, there is
not a matching topology record that contains both the LDNS request source (10.1.0.1) and the Destination

28
 BIG-IP® DNS: Load Balancing

(Pool1); therefore, the BIG-IP system assigns a score of zero to Pool1. Pool2 matches the second topology
record in the list, because both the LDNS request source (10.1.0.1) and the Destination (Pool2) of the
DNS request match the second topology record; therefore, the BIG-IP system assigns a score of 100 to
Pool2. Pool3, matches the third topology record in the list, because both the LDNS request source
(10.1.0.1) and the Destination (Pool3) of the DNS request match the third topology record; therefore,
the BIG-IP system assigns a score of 10 to Pool3. The BIG-IP system directs the LDNS to send the
request to the pool with the highest score.
8. The LDNS sends the DNS request to Pool2 in the South America data center. How the system distributes
the DNS requests to the members of Pool2 is not shown in this illustration, but is based on the load
balancing method configured for Pool2.
9. A client in Chicago makes a DNS request.
10. LDNS 12.1.0.1 queries the BIG-IP system in the North America data center.
11. The BIG-IP system directs the LDNS to Pool3. To determine this answer, for each pool, one at a time,
the BIG-IP system iterates through the list of two topology records to find a match. For Pool1, there is
not a matching topology record that contains both the LDNS request source (12.1.0.1) and the Destination
(Pool1); therefore, the BIG-IP system assigns a score of zero to Pool1. For Pool2, there is not a matching
topology record that contains both the LDNS request source (12.1.0.1) and the Destination (Pool1);
therefore, the BIG-IP system assigns a score of zero to Pool2. Pool3, matches the third topology record
in the list, because both the LDNS request source (12.1.0.1) and the Destination (Pool3) of the DNS
request match the third topology record; therefore, the BIG-IP system assigns a score of 10 to Pool3.
The BIG-IP system directs the LDNS to send the request to the pool with the highest score.
12. The LDNS sends the DNS request to Pool3 in the North America data center. How the system distributes
the DNS requests to the members of Pool3 is not depicted in this illustration, but is based on the load
balancing method configured for Pool3.

Configuring a wide IP for Topology load balancing

Before you configure a wide IP for Topology load balancing, ensure the following:
• At least two pools are associated with the wide IP that you are configuring for Topology load balancing.
• Topology records that define how you want the BIG-IP® system to load balance DNS name resolution
requests are configured.
You can use Topology load balancing to distribute DNS name resolution requests among the pools in a
wide IP based on the geographic location of both the client making the request and the pool that handles
the response.
1. On the Main tab, click DNS > GSLB > Wide IPs.
The Wide IP List screen opens.
2. Click the name of the wide IP you want to modify.
3. On the menu bar, click Pools.
4. From the Load Balancing Method list, select Topology.
5. Click Update.

Repeat this process for each wide IP that you want to configure for Topology load balancing.

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Using Topology Load Balancing to Distribute DNS Requests to Specific Resources

About Topology load balancing for a pool

When you configure a pool for Topology load balancing, you can route DNS requests to the data center that
is closest to the client making the request. With this configuration, the BIG-IP® system load balances DNS
name resolution requests to the members of the pool.

Example configuration: Topology load balancing for a pool

This example illustrates how DNS name resolution requests are load balanced when a pool is configured
for Topology load balancing. An administrator configures pools in two different data centers: the North
America data center (North America DC) and the South America data center (South America DC) for
Topology load balancing. A server that contains the pool members 10.10.10.1 - 10.10.10.3 resides in the
North America DC. The server that contains the pool members 11.10.10.1 - 11.10.10.3 resides in the South
America DC. Next, the administrator creates topology records, as shown in the following figure, to load
balance DNS requests to members of the pools, and ensures that Longest Match is enabled on the BIG-IP®
system.

Figure 3: Topology records for a pool configured for Topology load balancing

The first topology record directs all DNS name resolution requests from an LDNS in Bolivia to the South
America DC. The second topology record directs all DNS name resolution requests from an LDNS in Peru
to the South America DC. The third topology record directs all DNS name resolution requests from an
LDNS in the United States to the North America DC. The fourth topology record directs all DNS name
resolution requests from an LDNS in Canada to the North America DC.

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 BIG-IP® DNS: Load Balancing

Figure 4: Pool configured for Topology load balancing

1. A client in the U.S. makes a DNS request.

2. An LDNS in the U.S. queries the BIG-IP system in the North America DC.
3. The BIG-IP system directs the LDNS to a member of Pool1 in the North America DC. To determine
this answer, for each pool member, one at a time, the BIG-IP system iterates through the list of topology
records to find a match. Pool members 10.10.10.1 - 10.10.10.3 each match the third topology record in
the list, because both the LDNS request source (U.S.) and the Destination (North America DC) of the
DNS request match the third topology record; therefore, the BIG-IP system assigns a score of 20 to each
of those pool members. For each of the pool members 11.10.10.1 - 11.10.10.3, there is no matching
topology record that contains both the LDNS request source (U.S.) and the Destination (South America
DC); therefore, the BIG-IP system assigns a score of zero to each of those pool members. The BIG-IP
system directs the LDNS to send the request to the pool member with the highest score.
4. The LDNS sends the DNS request to a pool member in the North America DC. Because all of the pool
members in the North America DC have the same score, the system distributes the DNS requests to the
pool members in a round robin fashion.
5. A client in Bolivia makes a DNS request.
6. An LDNS in Bolivia queries the BIG-IP system in the North America DC.
7. The BIG-IP system directs the LDNS to a pool member in the South America DC. To determine this
answer, for each pool member, one at a time, the BIG-IP system iterates through the list of topology
records to find a match. For each of the pool members 10.10.10.1 - 10.10.10.3 there is no matching

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Using Topology Load Balancing to Distribute DNS Requests to Specific Resources

topology record that contains both the LDNS request source (Bolivia) and the Destination (North America
DC); therefore, the BIG-IP system assigns a score of zero to each of those pool members. Pool members
11.10.10.1 - 11.10.10.3 each match the first topology record in the list, because both the LDNS request
source (Bolivia) and the Destination (South America DC) of the DNS request match the first topology
record; therefore, the BIG-IP system assigns a score of 10 to each of those pool members. The BIG-IP
system directs the LDNS to send the request to the pool member with the highest score.
8. The LDNS sends the DNS request to a pool member in the South America DC. Because all of the pool
members in the South America DC have the same score, the system distributes the DNS requests to the
pool members in a round robin fashion.

Configuring a pool for Topology load balancing

Before you configure a pool for Topology load balancing, ensure the following:
• The pool you are configuring for Topology load balancing contains at least two pool members.
• Topology records that define how you want the BIG-IP® system to load balance DNS name resolution
requests are configured.
You can use Topology load balancing to distribute DNS name resolution requests among the members of
a pool based on the geographic location of both the client making the request and the member of the pool
that handles the response.
1. On the Main tab, click DNS > GSLB > Pools.
The Pools list screen opens.
2. Click the name of the pool you want to modify.
3. On the menu bar, click Members.
4. In the Load Balancing Method area, from the Preferred list, select Topology.
5. In the Load Balancing Method area, from the Alternate list, select Round Robin.
6. In the Load Balancing Method area, from the Fallback list, select None.
7. Click Update.

Repeat this process for each pool that you want to configure for Topology load balancing.

About Topology load balancing for both wide IPs and pools
You can configure a wide IP for Topology load balancing. You can also configure each pool in the wide
IP for Topology load balancing. When you configure both a wide IP and the pools in the wide IP for Topology
load balancing, the BIG-IP® system uses topology records to load balance DNS name resolution requests
first to a pool in the wide IP, and then, to a member of the pool.

Note:
When configuring both the wide IP and the pools in the wide IP for Topology load balancing, it is important
to set the Fallback load balancing method for each pool to None. If you do not, DNS can send a DNS
request to a pool in the wide IP even when no pool members are available. In this case, the load balancing
algorithm for the pool would then fall back to BIND (static DNS). When you set the Fallback load balancing
method for each pool to None, if no members of a pool are available, BIG-IP DNS sends the DNS request
to another pool in the wide IP.

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 BIG-IP® DNS: Load Balancing

About Topology load balancing for CNAME wide IPs and pools
For a CNAME query against a CNAME wide IP with a CNAME pool, you can use Topology load balancing
at the wide IP level to make a pool selection, given that matching topology entries are configured to specify
a CNAME pool on the wide IP. However, when using Topology load balancing at the pool level to make
pool member selections, the BIG-IP® system relies on a metrics pull-up to get the topology scores needed
to pick a pool member because the pool members are non-terminal.
If the pool members are terminal members (for example, on an A or AAAA type pool), then you can use
them to match against the topology entries and get scores. But Topology load balancing cannot be used to
get scores for non-terminal members without doing a metrics pull-up because there is no way to specify a
wide IP or DNS name in a given topology entry. Therefore, for a CNAME query against a CNAME wide
IP with a CNAME pool, you can use Topology load balancing to pick a pool at the wide IP level, but it will
not be used (even if configured) at the pool level to pick a pool member because the BIG-IP system will
not perform a metrics pull-up.

About IP geolocation data

The BIG-IP® system uses an IP geolocation database to determine the origin of DNS requests. The database
included with the BIG-IP system provides geolocation data for IPv6 addresses at the continent and country
levels. It also provides geolocation data for IPv4 addresses at the continent, country, state, ISP, and
organization levels. The state-level data is worldwide, and thus includes designations in other countries that
correspond to the U.S. state-level in the geolocation hierarchy, such as, provinces in Canada.

Note: If you require geolocation data at the city-level, contact your F5® Networks sales representative to
purchase additional database files.

About topology records and IP geolocation data

The BIG-IP® system uses an IP geolocation database to determine the IP addresses that match the geographic
names that you define in a topology record, such as continent and country.

Downloading and installing updates to the IP geolocation data

You can download a monthly update to the IP geolocation database from F5® Networks. The BIG-IP®
system uses the IP geolocation database to determine the origin of DNS name resolution requests.
1. Log in to the F5 Networks customer web site at http://downloads.f5.com, and click Find a
Download.
2. In the F5 Product Family column, find BIG-IP, and then in the Product Line column, click either BIG-IP
v11.x/Virtual Edition.
3. Select a version from the list preceding the table.
4. In the Name column, click GeolocationUpdates.
5. Click I Accept to accept the license.
6. In the Filename column, click the name of the most recent compressed file that you want to download.

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Using Topology Load Balancing to Distribute DNS Requests to Specific Resources

7. In the Ready to Download table, click the download method that you want to use.
8. In the dialog box, click OK.
9. Select the directory in which you want to save the compressed file, and then decompress the file to save
the RPM files on the system.
10. To install and load one of the RPM files, run this command (the path and file name are case-sensitive):
geoip_update_data -f </path to RPM file and file name >.
The system installs and loads the specified database file.
11. Repeat step 10 for each of the RPM files that you saved to the system in step 9.

You can access the ISP and organization-level geolocation data for IPv4 addresses only using the iRules®
whereis command.

Reloading default geolocation data using the Configuration utility

Before you reload the default geolocation data, delete the RPM files that are in the /shared/GeoIP
directory.
To uninstall an update to the IP geolocation database, reload the default geolocation database files using
the Configuration utility.
1. At the BASH prompt, run this command to query the RPM database and determine what geolocation
data is installed:
rpm -qa --dbpath /shared/lib/rpm/
The system returns a list of RPMs, for example:

geoip-data-ISP-1.0.0-20110203.61.0
geoip-data-Region2-1.0.0-20110203.61.0
geoip-data-Org-1.0.0-20110203.61.0

2. To uninstall the RPMs, run this command for each RPM in the list:
rpm -e --dbpath /shared/lib/rpm/ <name of file>
For example, to uninstall geoip-data-ISP-1.0.0-20110203.61.0, run this command: rpm -e
--dbpath /shared/lib/rpm/ geoip-data-ISP-1.0.0-20110203.61.0

3. To remove the symlink in the /shared/GeoIP directory, run this command:

rm -f /shared/GeoIP/*

4. Log on to the Configuration utility.

5. On the Main tab, click System > Configuration.
6. In the Geolocation area, click Reload in the Operations setting.
The system reloads the default geolocation database files that are stored in /usr/share/GeoIP.

Reloading default geolocation data using tmsh

To uninstall an update to the IP geolocation database, delete the RPM files, and then reload the default
geolocation database files using tmsh.
1. At the BASH prompt, to query the RPM database and determine what geolocation data is installed, run
this command:
rpm -qa --dbpath /shared/lib/rpm/

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 BIG-IP® DNS: Load Balancing

The system returns a list of RPMs, for example:

geoip-data-ISP-1.0.0-20110203.61.0
geoip-data-Region2-1.0.0-20110203.61.0
geoip-data-Org-1.0.0-20110203.61.0

2. To uninstall the RPMs, for each RPM in the list, run this command:
rpm -e --dbpath /shared/lib/rpm/ <name of file>
For example, to uninstall geoip-data-ISP-1.0.0-20110203.61.0, run this command: rpm -e
--dbpath /shared/lib/rpm/ geoip-data-ISP-1.0.0-20110203.61.0

3. To remove the symlink in the /shared/GeoIP directory, run this command:

rm -f /shared/GeoIP/*

4. Log on to tmsh.
5. Run this command:
load / sys geoip
The system reloads the default geolocation database files that are stored in /usr/share/GeoIP.

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Preparing BIG-IP DNS for Static Persist Load Balancing for
Transaction-Oriented Traffic

About Static Persist load balancing

The Static Persist load balancing method uses the persist mask, with the source IP address of the LDNS, in
a deterministic algorithm to send requests to a specific pool member (virtual server). Using this method,
BIG-IP® DNS sends DNS name resolution requests to the first available pool member based on a hash
algorithm that determines the order of the pool members. This algorithm orders the pool members differently
for each LDNS that is sending requests to BIG-IP DNS, taking into account the Classless Inter-Domain
Routing (CIDR) of the LDNS. As BIG-IP DNS distributes requests across all pool members, requests from
each LDNS (and thus, each client) are generally sent to the same pool member. When the selected pool
member becomes unavailable, BIG-IP DNS sends requests to another pool member. When the original pool
member becomes available again, BIG-IP DNS sends requests to that pool member.

About configuring BIG-IP DNS to provide Static Persist load balancing

You can configure BIG-IP® DNS to provide Static Persist load balancing of LDNS to virtual servers. With
this configuration, BIG-IP DNS guarantees that certain transactions are routed through a single transaction
manager, such as Local Traffic Manager™, or another server array manager. This is beneficial for
transaction-oriented traffic, such as e-commerce shopping carts, online trading, and online banking.

Configuring CIDR options for Static Persist load balancing

The Static Persist load balancing method uses the Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR) system to identify
which IP addresses require a persistent connection to a virtual server. You can configure the range of IP
addresses by configuring the Static Persist CIDR setting for IPv4 and IPv6 addresses.
1. On the Main tab, click DNS > Settings > GSLB > Load Balancing.
The GSLB Load Balancing configuration screen opens.
2. For the Static Persist CIDR (IPv4) setting, type the number of bits that determine the IP address range
for IPv4 addresses.
The default value is 32.
3. For the Static Persist CIDR (IPv6) setting, type the number of bits that determine the IP address range
for IPv6 addresses.
The default value is 128.
4. Click Update.

You can now configure a pool for Static Persist load balancing.
 Index

Index
B K
BIG-IP DNS Kilobyte/Second load balancing method, about 15
about 7
introducing 7
L
C Least Connections load balancing method, about 15
limit settings, defined 12
CIDR load balancing
configuring for Static Persist load balancing 37 about pool-level 14
CNAME pools about Topology 23
and Topology load balancing 33 about wide IPs and pool order 12
CNAME wide IPs and limit settings 12
and Topology load balancing 33 and resource availability 11
Completion Rate load balancing method, about 16 and sort order of topology records 24
CPU load balancing method, about 16 and virtual server dependency 11
using tiered 7
using wide IP-level 7
D load balancing methods
database about Static Persist 37
installing geolocation 33 about Topology 23
dependencies, and virtual server status 11 and dynamic ratio 20
Drop Packet load balancing method, about 14 Completion Rate 16
dynamic load balancing methods 9 CPU 16
dynamic ratio load balancing 20 customizing QoS 19
Dynamic Ratio setting, about 19 Drop Packet 14
dynamic 9
Fallback IP 16
F Global Availability 12
Hops 16
Fallback IP load balancing method, about 16
Kilobyte/Second 15
fallback load balancing method, and verifying virtual server
Least Connections 15
availability 17
None 17
Packet Rate 15
G QoS 17
Ratio 13
geolocation data Return to DNS 16
about 33 Round Robin 14
and topology records 33 Round Trip Times 15
downloading and installing updates 33 static 7
reloading default data 34 Static Persist 16, 37
reloading default data using tmsh 34 understanding QoS equation 17
Global Availability load balancing method, about 12 Virtual Server Capacity 15
global server load balancing, and virtual server dependency Virtual Server Score 15
11 Longest Match sorting
and topology records 24
H disabling 25
enabling 26
Hops load balancing method, about 16
M
I
manual resume feature
IP geolocation data and pools 20
and topology records 33 and virtual servers 21
downloading and installing updates 33

39
Index

N T
None load balancing method, about 17 tiered load balancing 7
tmsh, and reloading default geolocation data 34
Topology load balancing
P about 23
Packet Rate load balancing method, about 15 and an example for pools 30
pool-level load balancing, about 14 and an example for wide IPs 27
pools and Longest Match sorting of records 24
and example Topology load balancing configuration 30 and pools 32
and pool member weighting 13 and regions 23
and the manual resume feature 20 and wide IPs 27, 29
and Topology load balancing 32 Topology load balancingand creating regions 24
and Topology load balancing method 30 Topology load balancing method 23
organizing within wide IPs 12 topology records
restoring availability manually 20 about 23
weighting in wide IPs 13 and IP geolocation data 33
preferred load balancing method, using when pool metrics are and Longest Match sorting 24
unavailable 20 changing sort order 25
configuring Longest Match sort order 26
creating 26
Q deleting 27
QoS equation
19 U
about customizing 18
understanding 17 user-defined regions
QoS method about 23
about 17 creating for Topology load balancing 24
customizing equation 19
V
R verifying virtual server availability, and fallback load balancing
Ratio load balancing method method 17
about 13 virtual server availability, verifying 17
and pool member weighting 13 Virtual Server Capacity load balancing method, about 15
and pool weighting in wide IPs 13 virtual server dependency, and load balancing 11
regions virtual servers
and Topology load balancing 23 and configuring dependencies 11
creating for Topology load balancing 24 and weighting of pool members 13
resource availability, and load balancing 11 restoring availability manually 21
Return to DNS load balancing method, about 16 Virtual Server Score load balancing method, about 15
Round Robin load balancing method, about 14
Round Trip Times load balancing method, about 15 W
wide IP-level load balancing 7
S wide IPs
static load balancing methods 7 and example Topology load balancing configuration 27
Static Persist load balancing and pool order 12
and configuring CIDR options 37 and pool weighting 13
Static Persist load balancing method and Topology load balancing 27, 32
37
about 16, 37

40