You can administer a Core from any of its configured interfaces assuming they are reachable. Use the AUX interface as a dedicated management interface rather than using one of the other interfaces that might be in use for storage data traffic.

When it is practical, use two dedicated failover interfaces for the heartbeat. Connect the interfaces through crossover cables and configure them using private IP addresses. This connection minimizes the risk of a split-brain scenario in which both Core peers consider the other to have failed. Directly connected, dedicated interfaces might not be possible for some reason. If the dedicated connections need to go through some combinations of switches and/or routers, they must use diverse paths and network equipment to avoid a single point of failure.

If you cannot configure two dedicated interfaces for the heartbeat, then an alternative is to specify the primary and auxiliary interfaces. Consider this option only if the traffic interfaces of both Core peers are connecting to the same switch or are wired so that a network failure means one of the Cores loses connection to all Edge appliances.

You can configure Cores with additional NICs to provide more network interfaces. These NICs are installed in PCIe slots within the Core. You can use the ports for storage traffic or heartbeat connectivity. The ports are identified as ethX_Y where X corresponds to the PCIe slot (from 1 to 5) and Y refers to the port on the NIC (from 0 to 3 for a four-port NIC and from 0 to 1 for a two-port NIC).

When using multiple interfaces for storage connectivity in an HA deployment, all interfaces should match in terms of their capabilities.