Linux 2.6.x as real server in a LVS system

DISCLAIMER: this is not an howto, it’s just a reminder for myself and a tip for someone who already knows LVS (Linux Virtual Server) basics.

So, if you need to use a Linux as a real server behind a LVS and you’re using kernel 2.6.x, you will know that if you try a

ifconfig lo:0 192.168.1.131 -arp netmask 255.255.255.255 up


then arping from an external host will be answered ANYWAY by your host, and this is a VERY BAD THING in an LVS environment (cause the client will contact directly only one real server and will not pass always through the virtual server). This could seem a bug cause we are using the -arp switch in ifconfig which should tell the kernel to ignore the ARP replies for this IP.
To solve this problem, you have to change these kernel settings with sysctl:

net.ipv4.conf.eth0.arp_ignore = 1
net.ipv4.conf.eth0.arp_announce = 2
net.ipv4.conf.all.arp_ignore = 1
net.ipv4.conf.all.arp_announce = 2


in sysctl.conf (you can use sysctl net.ipv4.conf.eth0.arp_ignore=1 for example if you want to give it a try before).

With these parameters set, if you try to arping the lo:0 IP address from an external host, it won’t answer, but nonetheless your real server will accept the packets sent by the director of the LVS system.

I’ve tried this in Debian.

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