ACTIVE-PASSIVE
Two devices, one job
While the active device is on duty, the passive device waits ready to take over. The setup is built against physical device failures.
Solution — Line Continuity
Uninterrupted Internet
A network does not stop for a single reason: the line saturates, the line breaks, the device fails. XLOG defines a separate backup for each of those three points: it combines five physical lines (an unlimited number with VLANs), hands a broken line over to the active ones, and brings an active-passive standby device online on physical failure.
When a Network Stops
Every failure layer has its own backup
Behind the sentence “the internet is down” lie causes that are independent of one another. A single line may not have enough capacity, the line may have broken entirely, or the device itself may have failed. Each happens at a different layer and needs a different kind of backup.
WAN capacity
The line is not enough
The internet infrastructure is not fast enough; a single line saturates at peak hours. With line aggregation, five physical internet lines are used as if they were one; there is no limit on lines added over VLANs.
WAN connection
The line breaks
A fault on the provider side takes the line down entirely. Line failover keeps the traffic of the cut line flowing over the active internet legs.
Device hardware
The device fails
The problem may be in the box rather than the line. With High Availability support, an Active-Passive setup engages automatically on a physical device failure and the standby device takes over.
Layer by Layer
What is backed up at which layer
| Layer | What breaks | What takes over | Module |
|---|---|---|---|
| WAN capacity | A single line is not fast enough | Five physical lines work together; unlimited with VLANs | Line Aggregation |
| WAN connection | One of the internet lines in use is cut | The active internet legs maintain continuity | Line Failover |
| Device hardware | A physical fault occurs on the device | The Active-Passive standby device engages automatically | High Availability |
| Network services | Dependence on a separate DHCP or DNS server | DHCP and DNS run on the device, no extra server needed | General Extras |
| Records | Access records living on a single device | Records are copied to another device with FTP backup | FTP Backup |
All of the modules are standard on the device; every module ships active in the XLOG Firewall family and requires no extra license.
Line Aggregation
Up to five physical lines used as one
Where internet connections fall short, it combines several internet lines and lets you use them as if they were a single line, raising your internet speed. The number of physical lines is at most five; if the lines are added over VLANs there is no limit. It is a solution applied at locations where the internet infrastructure is not fast enough.
On many firewall brands, load balancing is either traffic steering or line aggregation. XLOG supports both configurations.
What the source says
Up to 5 physical internet lines can be combined on the system.
There is no limit on the number of lines added over VLANs.
It is a solution applied where the internet infrastructure is not fast enough.
It works both as traffic steering and as line aggregation; both configurations are supported.
Line aggregation is standard on all 12 firewall models.
Line Failover
If one line is cut, the active lines take over
Should your internet connection break, you can build a redundant system and prevent internet outages by running several internet lines redundantly. If one of the internet lines in use on the system is cut, continuity is maintained over the active internet legs.
High Availability
Do not let a hardware failure stop the network
Line redundancy is of no use when the device itself fails. With High Availability support, your standby device engages automatically through Active-Passive support on a physical device failure. That way you experience no outage on your network.
AUTOMATIC
The handover is not manual
On a physical failure the standby device engages automatically; no intervention from the system administrator is required.
UNINTERRUPTED
The network stays up
When the standby device engages there is no outage on your network; filtering, hotspot and logging continue with the same configuration.
Log Backup
Do not let the records live on a single device
The second half of continuity is not the traffic continuing to flow but the record not being lost. With the FTP backup feature you can copy your internet records to another device; the records can be downloaded to your computer by date.
Records are signed on the device with a time stamp and kept for 2 years. Logins to the XLOG system are recorded as well.
Network services are on the device too
Built-in DHCP and DNS
Without needing an additional DHCP or DNS server, DHCP, the hotspot, the firewall, HTTP/HTTPS and DNS filtering, application filtering, quotas and speed limiting all run on the same device.
Download by date
Internet records can be downloaded to your computer by selecting a date range.
Signed retention
Records are signed with a time stamp and kept signed on the device for 2 years.
Models
How many lines you can connect on each model
Line aggregation and line failover are on all 12 firewall models; the models differ only in their network interfaces. The fiber interface starts with the XL400 and 10 Gbit SFP+ arrives with the XL600.
| Model | Ethernet Interface | Fiber Interface | Physical Lines | VLAN Lines | Line Aggregation | Line Failover |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XL25 | 6 Gbit Ethernet | — | Up to 5 | Unlimited | Yes | Yes |
| XL50 | 6 Gbit Ethernet | — | Up to 5 | Unlimited | Yes | Yes |
| XL100 | 6 Gbit Ethernet | — | Up to 5 | Unlimited | Yes | Yes |
| XL200 | 6 Gbit Ethernet | — | Up to 5 | Unlimited | Yes | Yes |
| XL300 | 6 Gbit Ethernet | — | Up to 5 | Unlimited | Yes | Yes |
| XL400 | 6 Gbit Ethernet | 2 SFP 1 Gbit | Up to 5 | Unlimited | Yes | Yes |
| XL600 | 6 Gbit Ethernet | 2 SFP+ 10 Gbit | Up to 5 | Unlimited | Yes | Yes |
| XL1000 | 6 Gbit Ethernet | 2 SFP+ 10 Gbit | Up to 5 | Unlimited | Yes | Yes |
| XL2000 | 8 Gbit Ethernet | 4 SFP+ 10 Gbit | Up to 7 | Unlimited | Yes | Yes |
| XL5000 | On request | On request | On request | Unlimited | Yes | Yes |
| XL10000 | On request | On request | On request | Unlimited | Yes | Yes |
| XL20000 | On request | On request | On request | Unlimited | Yes | Yes |
The number of physical lines is one less than the device's ethernet port count: one of the ports is reserved for the local network. There is no limit on lines added over VLANs.
Let us map out your line setup together
Share how many internet lines you have and which locations cannot tolerate an outage; let us settle on the redundancy design and the right model together.