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NSE4 · Question #388

Which statement describes how traffic flows in sessions handled by a slave unit in an active- active HA cluster?

The correct answer is D. Packets are first sent to the master unit, which then forwards the packets to the slave unit.. In an active-active HA cluster, all incoming packets initially arrive at the master unit, which then distributes and forwards sessions destined for slave units over the HA heartbeat or session synchronization link.

Submitted by skyler.x· Apr 18, 2026FortiGate Deployment and System Configuration

Question

Which statement describes how traffic flows in sessions handled by a slave unit in an active- active HA cluster?

Options

  • APacket are sent directly to the slave unit using the slave physical MAC address.
  • BPackets are sent directly to the slave unit using the HA virtual MAC address.
  • CPackets arrived at both units simultaneously, but only the salve unit forwards the session.
  • DPackets are first sent to the master unit, which then forwards the packets to the slave unit.

How the community answered

(20 responses)
  • A
    5% (1)
  • C
    5% (1)
  • D
    90% (18)

Why each option

In an active-active HA cluster, all incoming packets initially arrive at the master unit, which then distributes and forwards sessions destined for slave units over the HA heartbeat or session synchronization link.

APacket are sent directly to the slave unit using the slave physical MAC address.

Packets are not sent directly to the slave unit's physical MAC address for load-balanced sessions in an active-active HA setup; they are always directed to the HA virtual MAC address initially.

BPackets are sent directly to the slave unit using the HA virtual MAC address.

While packets use the HA virtual MAC, they are initially handled by the master unit, which then distributes them, rather than being sent directly to a slave unit via the HA virtual MAC for session initiation.

CPackets arrived at both units simultaneously, but only the salve unit forwards the session.

Packets do not arrive at both units simultaneously for session forwarding in an active-active HA cluster; the master receives the packets first and then directs the session to the appropriate unit.

DPackets are first sent to the master unit, which then forwards the packets to the slave unit.Correct

In an active-active HA cluster, the master unit is responsible for receiving all incoming traffic using the cluster's virtual MAC address; it then decides whether to process a session itself or to forward it to a slave unit for processing and load balancing the session workload.

Concept tested: FortiGate Active-Active HA traffic flow

Source: https://docs.fortinet.com/document/fortigate/7.4.0/administration-guide/522108/active-active-ha

Topics

#FortiGate HA#Active-Active HA#Traffic Flow#Session Distribution

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