Active-Passive Routes

When you configure a route at only one server, this asymmetry results in different perspectives on the route.

  • A route is active from the perspective of the server where it is configured. This server actively initiates the connection to the other server, so we refer to it as the active server, or initiating server.
  • A route is passive from the perspective of the other server. This server passively accepts connection requests from the active server, so we refer to it as the passive server.

A server can have both active and passive routes. That is, you can configure server S to initiate routes, and also configure other servers to initiate routes to S.

You can specify and modify the properties of an active route, but not those of a passive route. That is, properties of routes are associated with the server where the route is configured, and which initiates the connection.

Note: Defining a route specifies a zone as well (either implicitly or explicitly). The first route in the zone defines the type of the route; subsequent routes in the same zone must have the same zone type (otherwise, the server reports an error).