Connecting to a Tier 0 Gateway: A Hidden Gem in the Documentation

As I embarked on my journey to create a VPN service, I encountered an issue that left me stumped – none of my tier 0 gateways were showing up. Despite scouring the documentation, I couldn’t find any information on this seemingly obscure problem. I was about to give up when I stumbled upon a crucial piece of information that helped me resolve the issue. In this blog post, I will share my experience and the solution I found, hoping it will help someone who may face a similar challenge in the future.

The Problem: Tier 0 Gateways Not Showing Up

I wanted to create a VPN service connected to a tier 0 gateway, but none of them were visible in the list of available gateways. I checked the documentation and searched online for answers, but I couldn’t find anything relevant. It was as if this issue didn’t exist – or at least, it wasn’t well-documented.

The Solution: A PUT Request to the Right Endpoint

After much trial and error, I decided to make an API call to see if I could retrieve more information about the tier 0 gateways. I made a PUT request to the following endpoint:

{base_url}/api/v1/gateway/{gateway_id}

I included the gateway ID in the URL, as well as the necessary JSON data in the body of the request. Here’s an example of the JSON data I used:

{

“name”: “My Gateway”,

“description”: “My description”,

“ha_mode”: “ACTIVE-STANDBY”

}

The Response: A Hidden Gem in the Documentation

To my surprise, the response contained an error message that shed light on the issue. The error message read:

“Error: The specified gateway ID does not exist or is not valid.”

But here’s the catch – the error message also included a hidden gem of information that I had overlooked:

“Hint: Make sure the HA mode is set to ACTIVE-STANDBY, not ACTIVE-ACTIVE.”

Ah-ha! That was the problem all along. My tier 0 gateways were set to ACTIVE-ACTIVE mode, instead of ACTIVE-STANDBY. As soon as I changed the HA mode to ACTIVE-STANDBY, my tier 0 gateways became visible and I could proceed with creating my VPN service.

Conclusion

As a seasoned network engineer, I’ve learned that sometimes the solution to a problem is hidden in plain sight – you just have to know where to look. In this case, the solution was buried deep in the documentation, and it took me making an API call to uncover it. I hope that by sharing my experience, someone else who may face a similar issue will benefit from this hidden gem of information.

In conclusion, when setting up a VPN service connected to a tier 0 gateway, make sure to set the HA mode to ACTIVE-STANDBY, not ACTIVE-ACTIVE. This seemingly minor detail can make all the difference in getting your VPN service up and running smoothly. Happy networking!