How many missed heartbeats cause the PCE to view the VEN as offline?

The correct number of missed heartbeats for the Policy Compute Engine (PCE) to consider a Virtual Enforcement Node (VEN) as offline is twelve. This threshold is significant because it helps maintain stability and responsiveness within the Illumio Core environment.

When a VEN is unable to communicate with the PCE, it sends heartbeat signals at regular intervals to indicate its operational status. If the PCE does not receive an expected number of these heartbeats—in this case, twelve—it interprets the lack of communication as a potential failure in the connection or operational issues within the VEN. Recognizing a VEN as offline after this many missed heartbeats helps ensure that the overall security policies and enforcement can function without relying on nodes that are potentially compromised or malfunctioning.

Setting a specific threshold, like twelve missed heartbeats, prevents premature disconnection in cases of transient network issues, ensuring a more robust and stable communications environment for the security architecture. This allows the PCE to maintain effective control and visibility over the network security posture.