Configure SureLink active recovery for IPsec

You can configure the IX15 device to regularly probe IPsec tunnels to determine if the connection has failed and take remedial action.

You can also configure the IPsec tunnel to fail over to a backup tunnel. See Configure IPsec failover for further information.

Required configuration items

Additional configuration items

To configure the IX15 device to regularly probe the IPsec connection:


  1. Log into Digi Remote Manager, or log into the local Web UI as a user with full Admin access rights.
  2. Access the device configuration:

    1. Locate your device as described in Use Digi Remote Manager to view and manage your device.
    2. Click the Device ID.
    3. Click Settings.
    4. Click to expand Config.

    1. On the menu, click System. Under Configuration, click Device Configuration.

      The Configuration window is displayed.

  3. Click VPN > IPsec.
  4. Create a new IPsec tunnel or select an existing one:
    • To create a new IPsec tunnel, see Configure an IPsec tunnel.
    • To edit an existing IPsec tunnel, click to expand the appropriate tunnel.
  5. After creating or selecting the IPsec tunnel, click SureLink.

  6. Enable SureLink.
  7. (Optional) Change the Test interval between connectivity tests.

    Allowed values are any number of weeks, days, hours, minutes, or seconds, and take the format number{w|d|h|m|s}.

    For example, to set Interval to ten minutes, enter 10m or 600s.

    The default is 15 minutes.

  8. (Optional) If more than one test target is configured, for Success condition, select either:
    • One test passes: Only one test needs to pass for Surelink to consider an interface to be up.
    • All test pass: All tests need to pass for SureLink to consider the interface to be up.
  9. (Optional) For Pass threshold, type or select the number of times that the test must pass after failure, before the interface is determined to be working and is reinstated.
  10. (Optional) For Response timeout, type the amount of time that the device should wait for a response to a test failure before considering it to have failed.

    Allowed values are any number of weeks, days, hours, minutes, or seconds, and take the format number{w|d|h|m|s}.

    For example, to set Response timeout to ten minutes, enter 10m or 600s.

    The default is 15 seconds.

  11. Click to expand Tests.

    By default, Test DNS servers configured for this interface is automatically configured and enabled. This test communication with DNS servers that are either provided by DHCP, or statically configured for this interface.

    1. Click .

      New tests are enabled by default. To disable, click to toggle off Enable.

    2. Type a Label for the test.

    3. Click to toggle on IPv6 if the test should apply to both IPv6 rather than IPv4.

    4. Select the Test type.

      • Ping test: Uses ICMP to determine connectivity.

        • Ping target: The type of target for the ping, one of:
          • Hostname or IP address of an external server.
            • Ping host: hostname or IP address of the server.
          • The Interface gateway. If Interface gateway is selected, an initial traceroute is sent to the hostname or IP address configured in the SureLink advanced settings, and then the first hop in that route is used for the ping test.
          • The Interface address.
          • The Interface DNS server.
        • Ping payload size: The number of bytes to send as part of the ping payload.

      • DNS test: Performs a DNS query to the named DNS server.

        • DNS server: The IP address of the DNS server.

      • HTTP test: Uses HTTP(s) GET requests to determine connectivity to the configured web server.

        • Web server: The URL of the web server.

      • Test DNS servers configured for this interface: Tests communication with DNS servers that are either provided by DHCP, or statically configured for this interface.

      • Test the interface status: Tests the current status of the interface. The test fails if the interface is down. Failing this test infers that all other tests fail.

        • Down time: The amount of time that the interface is down before the test can be considered to have failed.

          Allowed values are any number of weeks, days, hours, minutes, or seconds, and take the format number{w|d|h|m|s}.

          For example, to set Down time to ten minutes, enter 10m or 600s.

        • Initial connection time: The amount of time to wait for the interface to connect for the first time before the test is considered to have failed.

          • Allowed values are any number of weeks, days, hours, minutes, or seconds, and take the format number{w|d|h|m|s}.

          For example, to set Initial connection time to ten minutes, enter 10m or 600s.

      • Custom test: Tests the interface with custom commands.

        • The Commands to run to test.

      • TCP connection test: Tests that the interface can reach a destination port on the configured host.

        • TCP connect host: The hostname or IP address of the host to create a TCP connection to.
        • TCP connect port: The TCP port to create a TCP connection to.

      • Test another interface's status: Tests the status of another interface.

        • Test interface: The interface to test.
        • IP version: The type of IP connection, one of:
          • Any: Either the IPv4 or IPv6 connection must be up.
          • Both: Both the IPv4 or IPv6 connection must be up.
          • IPv4: The IPv4 connection must be up.
          • IPv6: The IPv6 connection must be up.
        • Expected status: The status required for the test to past.
          • Up: The test will pass only if the referenced interface is up and passing its own SureLink tests (if applicable).
          • Down: The test will pass only if the referenced interface is down or failing its own SureLink tests (if applicable).

    5. Repeat for each additional test.
  12. Add recovery actions:
    1. Click to expand Recovery actions.

      By default, there are two preconfigured recovery actions:

      • Update routing: Uses the Change default gateway action, which increases the interface's metric by 100 to change the default gateway.

      • Restart interface.

    2. Click .

      New recovery actions are enabled by default. To disable, click to toggle off Enable.

    3. Type a Label for the recovery action.

    4. For Recovery type, select Reboot device.

    5. For Recovery type, select the type of recovery action. If multiple recovery actions are configured, they are performed in the order that they are listed.

      • Change default gateway: Increases the interface's metric to change the default gateway.

        • SureLink test failures: The number of failures for this recovery action to perform, before moving to the next recovery action.
        • Increase metric to change active default gateway: Increase the interface's metric by this amount. This should be set to a number large enough to change the routing table to use another default gateway. The default is 100.
        • Override wait interval before performing the next recovery action: The time to wait before the next test is run. If set to the default value of 0s, the Test interval is used.

      • Restart interface.

        • SureLink test failures: The number of failures for this recovery action to perform, before moving to the next recovery action.
        • Override wait interval before performing the next recovery action: The time to wait before the next test is run. If set to the default value of 0s, the Test interval is used.

      • Reset modem: This recovery action is available for WWAN interfaces only.

        • SureLink test failures: The number of failures for this recovery action to perform, before moving to the next recovery action.
        • Override wait interval before performing the next recovery action: The time to wait before the next test is run. If set to the default value of 0s, the Test interval is used.

      • Switch to alternate SIM: Switches to an alternate SIM. This recovery action is available for WWAN interfaces only.

        • SureLink test failures: The number of failures for this recovery action to perform, before moving to the next recovery action.
        • Override wait interval before performing the next recovery action: The time to wait before the next test is run. If set to the default value of 0s, the Test interval is used.

      • Reboot device.

        • SureLink test failures: The number of failures for this recovery action to perform, before moving to the next recovery action.
        • Override wait interval before performing the next recovery action: The time to wait before the next test is run. If set to the default value of 0s, the Test interval is used.

      • Execute custom Recovery commands.

        • SureLink test failures: The number of failures for this recovery action to perform, before moving to the next recovery action.
        • The Commands to run to recovery connectivity.
        • Override wait interval before performing the next recovery action: The time to wait before the next test is run. If set to the default value of 0s, the Test interval is used.

      • Powercycle the modem. This recovery action is available for WWAN interfaces only.

        • SureLink test failures: The number of failures for this recovery action to perform, before moving to the next recovery action.
        • Override wait interval before performing the next recovery action: The time to wait before the next test is run. If set to the default value of 0s, the Test interval is used.

    6. Repeat for each additional recovery action.

    1. Click to expand Advanced settings.

    2. For Delayed Start, type the amount of time to wait while the device is starting before SureLink testing begins. This setting is bypassed when the interface is determined to be up.

      Allowed values are any number of weeks, days, hours, minutes, or seconds, and take the format number{w|d|h|m|s}.

      For example, to set Delayed start to ten minutes, enter 10m or 600s.

      The default is 300 seconds.

    3. For Backoff interval, type the time to add to the test interval when restarting the list of actions. This option is capped at 15 minutes.

      Allowed values are any number of weeks, days, hours, minutes, or seconds, and take the format number{w|d|h|m|s}.

      For example, to set Backoff interval to ten minutes, enter 10m or 600s.

      The default is 300 seconds.

    4. Test interface gateway by pinging is used by the Interface gateway Ping test as the endpoint for traceroute to use to determine the interface gateway. The default is 8.8.8.8, and should only be changed if this IP address is not accessible due to networking issues.
  14. Click Apply to save the configuration and apply the change.
  1. Select the device in Remote Manager and click Actions > Open Console, or log into the IX15 local command line as a user with full Admin access rights.

    Depending on your device configuration, you may be presented with an Access selection menu. Type admin to access the Admin CLI.

  2. At the command line, type config to enter configuration mode:
    > config
(config)>
  3. Create a new IPsec tunnel, or edit an existing one:
    • To create a new IPsec tunnel, see Configure an IPsec tunnel.
    • To edit an existing IPsec tunnel, change to the IPsec tunnel's node in the configuration schema. For example, for an IPsec tunnel named ipsec_example, change to the ipsec_example node in the configuration schema:
      (config)> vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example)>
  4. Enable SureLink:
    (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example)> surelink enable true
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example)>

  5. By default, the Test DNS servers configured for this interface test is automatically configured and enabled. This tests communication with DNS servers that are either provided by DHCP, or statically configured for this interface.

    To add additional tests:

    1. Add a test:

      (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example)> add surelink tests end
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink tests 1)>

    2. New tests are enabled by default. To disable: 

      (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink tests 1)> enable false
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink tests 1)>
    3. Create a label for the test:
      (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink tests 1)> label string
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink tests 1)>
    4. if the test should apply to both IPv6 rather than IPv4, enable IPv6:
      (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink tests 1)> ipv6 true
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink tests 1)>

    5. Set the test type:

      (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink tests 1)> test value
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink tests 1)>

      • ping: Uses ICMP to determine connectivity.

        • Set the ping_method: 

          (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink tests 1)> ping_method value
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink tests 1)>

          where value is one of:

          • hostname: The hostname or IP address of an external server.

            • Set ping_host to the hostname or IP address of the server:

              (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink tests 1)> ping_host hostname/IP_address
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink tests 1)>

          • interface_gateway. If set, an initial traceroute is sent to the hostname or IP address configured in the SureLink advanced settings, and then the first hop in that route is used for the ping test.

          • interface_address.

          • interface_dns: The interface's DNS server.

        • Set the number of bytes to send as part of the ping payload:

          (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink tests 1)> ping_size int
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink tests 1)>

      • dns: Performs a DNS query to the named DNS server. 

        (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink tests 1)> dns_server IP_address
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink tests 1)>

      • http: Uses HTTP(s) GET requests to determine connectivity to the configured web server. 

        • (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink tests 1)> http url
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink tests 1)>

      • dns_configured: Tests communication with DNS servers that are either provided by DHCP, or statically configured for this interface.

      • interface_up: Tests the current status of the interface. The test fails if the interface is down. Failing this test infers that all other tests fail.

        • Set the amount of time that the interface is down before the test can be considered to have failed.

          (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink tests 1)> interface_down_time value
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink tests 1)>

          where value is any number of weeks, days, hours, minutes, or seconds, and takes the format number{w|d|h|m|s}.

          For example, to set interface_down_time to ten minutes, enter either 10m or 600s:

          (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink tests 1)> interface_down_time 600s
(config)>

        • Set the amount of time to wait for the interface to connect for the first time before the test is considered to have failed.

          (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink tests 1)> interface_timeout value
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink tests 1)>

          where value is any number of weeks, days, hours, minutes, or seconds, and takes the format number{w|d|h|m|s}.

          For example, to set interface_timeout to ten minutes, enter either 10m or 600s:

          (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink tests 1)> interface_timeout 600s
(config)>

      • custom_test: Tests the interface with custom commands. 

        • (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example  surelink tests 1)> custom_test_commands "string"
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink tests 1)>

      • tcp_connection: Tests that the interface can reach a destination port on the configured host.

        • Set the hostname or IP address of the host to create a TCP connection to:
          (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink tests 1)> tcp_host hostname/IP_address
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink tests 1)>
        • Set the TCP port to create a TCP connection to.
          (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink tests 1)> tcp_port port
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink tests 1)>

      • other: Tests the status of another interface.

        • Set the interface to test.
          2. Set the interface. For example:
            (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink tests 1)> other_interface /network/interface/eth1
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink tests 1)>
        • Set the type of IP connection:
          (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink tests 1)> other_ip_version value
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink tests 1)>

          where value is one of:

          • any: Either the IPv4 or IPv6 connection must be up.
          • both: Both the IPv4 or IPv6 connection must be up.
          • ipv4 The IPv4 connection must be up.
          • ipv6: The IPv6 connection must be up.
        • The status required for the test to past.
          (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink tests 1)> other_status value
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink tests 1)>

          where value is one of:

          • up: The test will pass only if the referenced interface is up and passing its own SureLink tests (if applicable).
          • down: The test will pass only if the referenced interface is down or failing its own SureLink tests (if applicable).

    6. Repeat for each additional test.

  6. Add recovery actions:
    1. Type ... to return to the root of the configuration:
      (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink tests 1)> ...
(config)>
    2. Add a recovery action:
      (config)> add vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions end
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)>

    3. New actions are enabled by default. To disable: 

      (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)> enable false
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)>
    4. Create a label for the action:
      (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)> label string
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)>
    5. Set the type of recovery action to reboot_device:
      (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)> action reboot_device
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)>
      • Set the number of failures for this recovery action to perform, before moving to the next recovery action:
        (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)> test_failures int
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)>

        The default is 3.

      • Set the time to wait before the next test is run. If set to the default value of 0s, the test interval is used.
        (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)> override_interval int
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)>

    6. Set the type of recovery action. If multiple recovery actions are configured, they are performed in the order that they are listed. The command varies depending on whether the interface is a WAN or WWAN:

      (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)> modem_action value
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)>

      • WAN interfaces:

        (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)> action value
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)>

      • WWAN interfaces:

        (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)> modem_action value
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)>

      where value is one of:

      • update_routing_table: Increases the interface's metric to change the default gateway.

        • Set the number of failures for this recovery action to perform, before moving to the next recovery action:
          (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)> test_failures int
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)>

          The default is 3.

        • Set the amount that the interface's metric should be increased. This should be set to a number large enough to change the routing table to use another default gateway.
          (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)> metric_adjustment_modem int
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)>

          The default is 100.

        • Set the time to wait before the next test is run. If set to the default value of 0s, the test interval is used.
          (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)> override_interval int
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)>

      • restart_interface.

        • Set the number of failures for this recovery action to perform, before moving to the next recovery action:
          (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)> test_failures int
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)>

          The default is 3.

        • Set the time to wait before the next test is run. If set to the default value of 0s, the test interval is used.
          (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)> override_interval int
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)>

      • reset_modem: This recovery action is available for WWAN interfaces only.

        • Set the number of failures for this recovery action to perform, before moving to the next recovery action:
          (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)> test_failures int
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)>

          The default is 3.

        • Set the time to wait before the next test is run. If set to the default value of 0s, the test interval is used.
          (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)> override_interval int
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)>

      • switch_sim: Switches to an alternate SIM. This recovery action is available for WWAN interfaces only.

        • Set the number of failures for this recovery action to perform, before moving to the next recovery action:
          (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)> test_failures int
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)>

          The default is 3.

        • Set the time to wait before the next test is run. If set to the default value of 0s, the test interval is used.
          (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)> override_interval int
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)>

      • modem_power_cycle: This recovery action is available for WWAN interfaces only.

        • Set the number of failures for this recovery action to perform, before moving to the next recovery action:
          (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)> test_failures int
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)>

          The default is 3.

        • Set the time to wait before the next test is run. If set to the default value of 0s, the test interval is used.
          (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)> override_interval int
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)>

      • reboot_device.

        • Set the number of failures for this recovery action to perform, before moving to the next recovery action:
          (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)> test_failures int
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)>

          The default is 3.

        • Set the time to wait before the next test is run. If set to the default value of 0s, the test interval is used.
          (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)> override_interval int
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)>

      • custom_action: Execute custom recovery commands.

        • Set the number of failures for this recovery action to perform, before moving to the next recovery action:
          (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)> test_failures int
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)>

          The default is 3.

        • Set the commands to run to attempt to recovery connectivity.
          (config network interface my_wan surelink actions 0)> custom_action_commands_modem "string"
(config network interface my_wan surelink actions 0)>
        • Set the time to wait before the next test is run. If set to the default value of 0s, the test interval is used.
          (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)> override_interval int
(config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)>

    7. Repeat for each additional recovery action.
    1. Type ... to return to the root of the configuration:
      (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink actions 0)> ...
(config)>
    2. Set the test interval between connectivity tests:
      (config)> vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink interval value
(config)>

      where value is any number of weeks, days, hours, minutes, or seconds, and takes the format number{w|d|h|m|s}.

      For example, to set interval to ten minutes, enter either 10m or 600s:

      (config)> vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink interval 600s
(config)>

      The default is 15m.

    3. If more than one test target is configured, set the success condition:
      (config)> vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink success_condition value
(config)>

      where value is either:

      • one: Only one test needs to pass for Surelink to consider an interface to be up.
      • all: All tests need to pass for SureLink to consider the interface to be up.
    4. Set the number of times that the test must pass after failure, before the interface is determined to be working and is reinstated.
      (config)> vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink pass_threshold int
(config)>

      The default is 1.

    5. Set the amount of time that the device should wait for a response to a test attempt before considering it to have failed:
      (config)> vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink timeout value
(config)>

      where value is any number of weeks, days, hours, minutes, or seconds, and takes the format number{w|d|h|m|s}.

      For example, to set timeout to ten minutes, enter either 10m or 600s:

      (config)> vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink timeout 600s
(config)>

      The default is 15s.

    6. Set the amount of time to wait while the device is starting before SureLink testing begins. This setting is bypassed when the interface is determined to be up.
      (config)> vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink advanced delayed_start value
(config)>

      where value is any number of weeks, days, hours, minutes, or seconds, and takes the format number{w|d|h|m|s}.

      For example, to set delayed_start to ten minutes, enter either 10m or 600s:

      (config)> vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink advanced delayed_start 600s
(config)>

      The default is 300s.

    7. Set the time to add to the test interval when restarting the list of actions. This option is capped at 15 minutes.
      (config)> vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink advanced backoff_interval value
(config)>

      where value is any number of weeks, days, hours, minutes, or seconds, and takes the format number{w|d|h|m|s}.

      For example, to set backoff_interval to ten minutes, enter either 10m or 600s:

      (config)> vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink advanced backoff_interval 600s
(config)>

      The default is 300 seconds.

    8. The interface_gateway parameter is used by the Interface gateway Ping test as the endpoint for traceroute to use to determine the interface gateway. The default is 8.8.8.8, and should only be changed if this IP address is not accessible due to networking issues. To set to an alternate host:
      (config)> vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example surelink advanced interface_gateway hostname/IP_address
(config)>
  8. Save the configuration and apply the change
    (config vpn ipsec tunnel ipsec_example connection_monitor target 0)> save
Configuration saved.
>
  9. Type exit to exit the Admin CLI.

    Depending on your device configuration, you may be presented with an Access selection menu. Type quit to disconnect from the device.