LoadMaster “Clustering” Feature Being Deprecated in July 2026

The “clustering” feature in the Progress Kemp LoadMaster solution is being officially deprecated on July 1, 2026. The rest of this article details what is happening, why and the steps that current clustering users should take.

What is Happening?

We’re removing the “clustering” functionality from the LoadMaster solution.

The Clustering feature involves deploying multiple LoadMaster instances (nodes) as a single management and control domain, with each node actively passing traffic. If any of these nodes fail, the remaining nodes continue to provide service to the remote client, providing resilience.

The deprecation of this feature doesn’t affect the high availability (“HA”) pairing feature which is typically used with the LoadMaster solution. Active-passive HA pairs of LoadMaster solutions will continue to be the recommended deployment model and are unaffected by this change.

Starting from July 1, 2026, when the license on a LoadMaster solution is updated the clustering feature will no longer be available.

For any LoadMaster units that are currently “clustered,” these will automatically change into standalone LoadMaster units once their license is updated after the July deprecation date.

“Clustering” is a specialized deployment type with four or more LoadMaster solutions in a “cluster” handling traffic.

Example of the “clustering” option being deprecated in the LoadMaster UI

How to Prepare If Clustering is In Use

Users who are currently using the clustering feature are strongly advised to take a system backup, which is described below.

Please follow these instructions to avoid any disruption caused by IP address conflicts:

1. Arrange downtime to remove clustering, for example during a maintenance window.
2. Create a backup of the current configuration using the steps outlined in this document. 
3. Remove the cluster nodes one at a time using the step-by-step instructions found in this guide.  
4. Once all nodes are removed, the ‘admin node’ can then be removed.
5. After a reboot, the unit will revert back to a normal standalone LoadMaster appliance.
6. If desired, continue deploying one of the alternative solutions outlined below.

Why is This Happening?

The decision to deprecate the clustering feature was made in order to focus development efforts on the core LoadMaster capabilities and to deliver a more powerful feature set.

The LoadMaster HA ‘active-passive’ pair style of deployment remains unchanged and is the recommended choice for highly available load balancing using multiple LoadMaster deployments.

Alternative Solutions for Current Users of “Clustering”

Two alternative solutions are recommended for users who currently make use of the “clustering” feature.

• Using the standard ‘High Availability’ mode to change a pair of LoadMaster units into an Active-Passive pair setup:
  • https://docs.progress.com/bundle/loadmaster-feature-description-high-availability-ha-ga/page/Set-Up-HA.html
• Using the GEO partnership to load balance traffic across a group of independent LoadMaster solutions using DNS setup:
  • https://docs.progress.com/bundle/loadmaster-feature-description-geo-ga/page/Set-Up-GEO-LoadMaster-Partners.html 

Further Support and Questions

Please reach out to us for questions or assistance with this feature deprecation.

Full product documentation can be found here.

Click here to contact the LoadMaster support team with questions or issues.

Please make sure to reach out before July 1, 2026 with any questions or issues for the support team to maintain adequate time for any migration assistance.