156-915.77 · Question #164
(Topic 14) John is configuring a new R77 Gateway cluster but he can not configure the cluster as Third Party IP Clustering because this option is not available in Gateway Cluster Properties. What's…
The correct answer is A. ClusterXL needs to be unselected to permit third party clustering configuration. See the full explanation below for the reasoning.
Question
- (Topic 14)
John is configuring a new R77 Gateway cluster but he can not configure the cluster as Third Party IP Clustering because this option is not available in Gateway Cluster Properties. What’s happening?
Options
- AClusterXL needs to be unselected to permit third party clustering configuration.
- BThird Party Clustering is not available for R77 Security Gateways.
- CJohn has an invalid ClusterXL license.
- DJohn is not using third party hardware as IP Clustering is part of Check Point's IP
How the community answered
(61 responses)- A75% (46)
- B8% (5)
- C3% (2)
- D13% (8)
Community Discussion
8
Ola B.Jun 6, 2026The answer is A. When you go into the Gateway Cluster Properties in SmartDashboard, ClusterXL and Third Party Clustering are mutually exclusive options, so as long as ClusterXL is selected the Third Party option stays grayed out and you literally cannot click it. John just needs to uncheck ClusterXL first, and the Third Party IP Clustering option will become available. Spin up a lab with two VMs and a SmartCenter if you want to see this firsthand, because the GUI behavior makes it click immediately once you see it live.
Bahar F.Jun 8, 2026That is exactly right, and worth adding that once John switches to Third Party Clustering he also needs to confirm his cluster members are running a compatible VRRP or HSRP stack before committing the policy, otherwise the topology sync will fail silently.
Anjali D.May 22, 2026Our group went back and forth on C for a while because a missing option in the GUI does make you think license first, and Check Point loves to throw license-related distractors at you. But this one is actually a configuration dependency, not a licensing gap. ClusterXL and Third Party IP Clustering are mutually exclusive modes, so as long as ClusterXL is checked in the cluster object properties, the Third Party option stays grayed out and unavailable. You have to uncheck ClusterXL first, which makes A the right call here. Has anyone actually run into this in a lab and can confirm the exact checkbox location in SmartDashboard? Would love to know if it is under the General Properties tab or somewhere else.
Anastasia B.May 29, 2026A is right. ClusterXL and Third Party IP Clustering are mutually exclusive in Gateway Cluster Properties.
Ingrid P.Jun 17, 2026Has to be C, bad license blocks the option from showing up entirely.
Ola B.Jun 18, 2026Ingrid, actually it is A on this one, because a bad or expired license does not hide the option from the interface, it just prevents you from completing the configuration or saving changes, so the option still shows up and that is exactly what the question is testing.
Bahar F.Jun 12, 2026D, because IP Clustering is Check Point proprietary, hardware independence is a myth here.
Ola B.Jun 15, 2026Bahar, A is the answer because IP Clustering is in fact a Check Point proprietary clustering technology, and the key advantage it offers is exactly that hardware independence, meaning you can cluster gateways running on different hardware models, which is something you can verify yourself by spinning up a couple of gateway VMs in a lab and clustering them without matching specs.