Neverfail Continuity Engine interoperability with BitLocker
Summary
This article provides information on how Neverfail Continuity Engine inter-operates with BitLocker.
BitLocker volume encryption feature lies "beneath" Continuity Engine replication layer, thus Engine is unaware it's there. That means Engine doesn't replicate setting it up or any eventual changes to the BitLocker configuration performed on the active server. Engine will clone the setup (when adding the standby HA/DR servers), but it can be also set up to have different passwords on active and passive, or even BitLocker configured on just one Engine node. However, there are a few requirements / best practices regarding Continuity Engine interoperability with BitLocker.
Installing Continuity Engine on a system having a BitLocker encrypted volume
Continuity Engine Management Service installation
- Fully supported - no special requirements.
Continuity Engine installation
- Requirement: all of the disks encrypted/locked with BitLocker must be unlocked on the target server (Primary to be), otherwise the installation will be vetoed (unknown disk type)
Cloning BitLocker volumes when deploying Continuity Engine standby servers
- BitLocker configuration from the active server will be cloned on the passive server.
- Note: BitLocker configuration (setup and/or changes) performed post-Engine cluster deployment on the active server won't be replicated on the passive servers. This means BitLocker may have have different passwords on active and passive nodes, or even be configured on just one Engine node.
Replicating BitLocker encrypted volumes with Continuity Engine
BitLocker encrypted volume is part of Continuity Engine data replication set - Rules of operation
- Requirement: all of the disks encrypted/locked with BitLocker must be unlocked on all of the Engine nodes. This way the data written/changed on the active server BitLocker volumes will be successfully replicated on the passive nodes
- Note: if the BitLocker volumes are kept locked on any of the passive nodes (while unlocked on active), then Engine replication will stop (VetoedEffectiveFilter)
- Note: if the BitLocker volumes are kept locked on all of the Engine nodes (active/passive), then Engine won't replicate the BitLocker volumes and replication won't be affected (it simply ignores (won't see) the BitLocker volumes)
BitLocker encrypted volume is not part of Continuity Engine data replication set
- no replication for BitLocker volumes; no impact or special requirements for Continuity Engine functionality.
Applies to:
Neverfail Continuity Engine v8.5
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