WSM User Guide - WatchGuard Technologies

CHAPTER 27High AvailabilityNoteHigh Availability is available only in Fireware® Pro.High Availability (HA) refers to the ability of a network to operate when hardware or software fails. Whenyou add redundancy to your network, you remove one point of vulnerability.The WatchGuard® High Availability feature enables the installation of two Firebox® devices in a failoverconfiguration. The configuration includes one Firebox we identify as the primary device and the otherwe identify as the secondary device. One of these devices is always in active mode and the other instandby mode. These two Fireboxes are known as “peers.” They constantly send messages to each otherto communicate their status.When a failover event occurs, the standby system becomes active. After a Firebox becomes active, itstays active until it goes offline and the standby Firebox starts as the active unit.This chapter includes two methods to configure High Availability. Use the first method if the Fireboxdevices to configure for High Availability are Firebox X Core or Peak e-Series devices. If the two Fireboxdevices are Firebox X Core or Peak devices and not e-Series appliances, you can use the first or secondmethod.High Availability RequirementsHere are the requirements for the High Availability feature:• One Firebox in each HA pair is the primary Firebox. We recommend that you use the Firebox®with the maximum license features and capacities as the primary HA device.• The two Fireboxes in an HA configuration must be the same model and must use the samesoftware version. If the software versions are different, you must upgrade the Firebox with the oldversion to match the other Firebox. The Firebox with the old software must have a license for theupgraded software.• Each active interface on the primary HA Firebox must connect to the same hub or switch as itsmatching active interface on the secondary HA Firebox.• When you connect two Firebox devices in an HA cluster, connect the cable between the highestnumberport on each Firebox. If you are configuring two HA connections between the FireboxUser Guide 343