Alarm on client loss of connection to backup server

Is there a way for a client to generate an alarm if it loses connection to the backup server in a redundant architecture?

Here is our scenario:
One of our customers has a v8.1.35 system with redundancy. Their primary server is a physical machine on the OT LAN but their backup server runs in a VM on the IT LAN (an architecture decision made internal to their organization).

Their IT dept has configured the LAN to allow the primary and backup servers to communicate and failover does work. However, there are sometimes clients throughout the plant that cannot reach the backup server so they go down during a failover event. This problem is a moving target as more clients are added and the IT LAN evolves.

We are looking for a way to generate an alarm and also display a multi-state text box on each client that the backup server is connected/not connected. This would prompt the engineering and maintenance staff to have IT investigate and correct the issue.

Thank you in advance for any suggestions.

They need to unmake that decision. Really.

Master and Backup need to be on network infrastructure that is symmetrical for all devices and clients, and that ensures that breakage at one gateway breaks all of its database and device and client connections at the same time as the loss of connection to the other gateway.

If the network cannot meet this constraint, you risk split-brain and other pathological behaviors.

Full stop.

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