Configuring Active/Active Failover; Prerequisites; Configuring Cable-Based Active/Active Failover (Pix 500 Series Security Appliance) - Cisco PIX 500 Series Configuration Manual

Chapter 14 Configuring Failover
Enter the following command on the active unit to configure the virtual MAC addresses for an interface:
hostname(config)# failover mac address phy_if active_mac standby_mac
The phy_if argument is the physical name of the interface, such as Ethernet1. The active_mac and
standby_mac arguments are MAC addresses in H.H.H format, where H is a 16-bit hexadecimal digit. For
example, the MAC address 00-0C-F1-42-4C-DE would be entered as 000C.F142.4CDE.
The active_mac address is associated with the active IP address for the interface, and the standby_mac
is associated with the standby IP address for the interface.
There are multiple ways to configure virtual MAC addresses on the security appliance. When more than
one method has been used to configure virtual MAC addresses, the security appliance uses the following
order of preference to determine which virtual MAC address is assigned to an interface:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Use the show interface command to display the MAC address used by an interface.

Configuring Active/Active Failover

This section describes how to configure Active/Active failover.
Note Active/Active failover is not available on the ASA 5505 adaptive security appliance.
This section includes the following topics:
•
•
•
•

Prerequisites

Before you begin, verify the following:
•
•

Configuring Cable-Based Active/Active Failover (PIX 500 series security appliance)

Follow these steps to configure Active/Active failover using a serial cable as the failover link. The
commands in this task are entered on the primary unit in the failover pair. The primary unit is the unit
that has the end of the cable labeled "Primary" plugged into it. For devices in multiple context mode, the
commands are entered in the system execution space unless otherwise noted.
You do not need to bootstrap the secondary unit in the failover pair when you use cable-based failover.
Leave the secondary unit powered off until instructed to power it on.
OL-12172-03
The mac-address command (in interface configuration mode) address.
The failover mac address command address.
The mac-address auto command generated address.
The burned-in MAC address.
Prerequisites, page 14-27
Configuring Cable-Based Active/Active Failover (PIX 500 series security appliance), page 14-27
Configuring LAN-Based Active/Active Failover, page 14-29
Configuring Optional Active/Active Failover Settings, page 14-33
Both units have the same hardware, software configuration, and proper license.
Both units are in multiple context mode.
Cisco Security Appliance Command Line Configuration Guide
Configuring Failover
14-27