How High Availability Works; Prerequisites For A High Availability System - Watchguard V10 User Manual

In HA Active/Standby mode, you configure the standby
appliance to mirror the primary appliance. The standby
appliance will be functionally inactive, waiting for a signal
from the primary that it has failed. If this occurs, the
standby appliance takes over all network management
tasks within a very short interval, replacing the failed
device.

How High Availability works

The WatchGuard High Availability (HA) system is both
automatic and transparent. Switching to a backup appli-
ance occurs almost instantaneously.
When active, the primary appliance regularly sends a
"heartbeat" to the standby appliance. If the primary appli-
ance fails, the heartbeat ceases. When the standby appli-
ance detects three consecutive missed heartbeats, it
assumes full network functions and operations within a
few seconds.

Prerequisites for a High Availability System

To set up a High Availability Active/Standby system, you
need the following:
• Two Firebox Vclass appliances of the same model,
running the same software version.
• The appliance you use as the standby appliance must
be in the factory default configuration. If you just
unpacked this appliance, it is in a factory default state.
If the appliance that will be used as the standby device
has already been configured, you must reset it to the
factory default configuration using Vcontroller or the
Command Line Interface. For more information, see
"Restoring to Factory Default" on page 407.
Firebox Vclass User Guide
Prerequisites for a High Availability System
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