NSE4 High Availability and Diagnostics Practice Question
A FortiGate administrator needs to check the current HA status of a cluster to determine which unit is the primary. The administrator has CLI access to both units. Which command should be executed on either unit to display the HA status, including the primary unit's hostname and priority?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse the configuration command 'show system ha' with the operational status command 'get system ha status'.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
get system ha status
The command 'get system ha status' is the correct choice because it provides a clear summary of the HA status, including the primary unit's hostname and priority. It is the standard command for quickly determining which unit is active and its attributes, making it ideal for this scenario.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
show system ha
Why it's wrong here
This command shows the HA configuration settings, such as mode, group ID, and priorities, but does not display the current operational status, such as which unit is primary. It is useful for verifying configuration but not for checking runtime status.
- ✓
get system ha status
Why this is correct
This command displays a concise summary of the HA status, including the primary unit's hostname, priority, and HA uptime. It is the standard command to quickly verify which unit is primary and its attributes. It works on either unit and provides the necessary information directly.
- ✗
diagnose sys ha status
Why it's wrong here
This command provides detailed HA status but is not the standard command to quickly view the primary unit's hostname and priority. It is more verbose and includes internal HA state information. While it can show some status, it is not the primary command used for this purpose.
- ✗
diagnose sys ha dump
Why it's wrong here
This command dumps detailed HA debugging information, including internal state and packet statistics, but it is not the standard command to quickly check the primary unit's hostname and priority. It is intended for in-depth troubleshooting and produces a large amount of output.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Fortinet exam blueprint
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