Setting up a high-availability GitLab instance is critical for enterprises that rely on continuous integration and code collaboration. This guide details a proven architecture using DRBD for real-time data replication, Pacemaker for cluster management, and Corosync for messaging. The active/passive model ensures that if the primary node fails, the standby node takes over with minimal data loss. The article walks through Ubuntu system preparation, installation of required packages, configuration of DRBD block devices, and integration with GitLab services. It also includes testing procedures to validate failover behavior. For DevOps teams managing critical infrastructure, this approach offers a cost-effective alternative to cloud-managed services while maintaining control over data locality and compliance. The guide is practical and assumes intermediate Linux administration skills.
This guide provides a comprehensive walkthrough for setting up a high-availability GitLab repository on Ubuntu using DRBD, Pacemaker, and Corosync. It covers architecture planning, installation, and failover testing. This is valuable for enterprises needing reliable code hosting with minimal downtime.