The backup method for Sitebacker (SB) and Traffic Controller (TC) gives you explicit control over how a pool behaves when all the monitored records fail health checks.
It preserves existing traffic behavior and does not require any changes to the current configuration unless you choose to update it.
The possible backup methods are:
• FAIL CLOSED: UltraDNS stops responding and returns an empty DNS answer when all records fail. This option prioritizes correctness over availability.
• BACKUP RESPONSE: UltraDNS serves a configured backup (all-fail) record when all other priority records fail. The method is only available if a pool contains a configured backup (all-fail) record. This ensures DNS continues to return an answer during full failure scenarios.
• FAIL OPEN: UltraDNS temporarily ignores probe status and continues serving top-priority records based on the pool’s configuration, even if all health checks fail. This option prioritizes availability and traffic continuity.
(NOTE: The FAIL OPEN method generates audit logs, telemetry events, and notifications to ensure full visibility into the behavior change.)
This service addresses customer needs for more predictable and flexible failure handling; especially in scenarios where probes may fail, but endpoints can still serve traffic.
The backup method setting simplifies configuration, reduces reliance on all-fail records, and provides clearer operational control.