Match each Fortinet HA mode to its description.
Drag a concept onto its matching description — or click a concept then click the description.
One unit handles traffic; standby unit takes over on failure
Both units handle traffic simultaneously for load balancing
Multiple units act as a single logical firewall
Ensures active sessions are preserved after failover
FortiGate Clustering Protocol used for HA synchronization
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Active-Passive HA: One FortiGate handles traffic while the other is on standby.
Common FortiGate HA modes: Active-Passive (primary/standby) and Active-Active (both active). Distractors swap the definitions.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Active-Passive HA: One FortiGate handles traffic while the other is on standby.
Why this is correct
In Fortinet's FortiGate Cluster Protocol, Active-Passive HA designates a single primary unit to actively process all traffic sessions. The backup unit remains in a standby state, maintaining synchronized configuration and session information via the heartbeat interface, and takes over only upon detection of a failure.
Active-Active HA: Both FortiGates handle traffic simultaneously.
Why this is correct
Active-Active HA utilizes FGCP's load-balancing mode so that both FortiGate cluster members concurrently forward data-plane traffic. The cluster distributes new sessions between the units using a hash-based algorithm, while one unit still retains control-plane leadership for management and synchronization.
Active-Passive HA: Both FortiGates handle traffic simultaneously.
Why it's wrong here
This pairing mislabels Active-Passive HA because a passive unit, by definition, does not handle live traffic; it remains idle for redundancy. Two units simultaneously processing traffic is the characteristic behavior of Active-Active HA, not a standby configuration.
Active-Active HA: One FortiGate handles traffic while the other is on standby.
Why it's wrong here
Claiming Active-Active HA has one unit on standby contradicts the model's purpose of concurrent traffic processing. An active-active cluster forwards sessions on both members, so if a unit is waiting in standby, that setup is instead Active-Passive HA.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This NSE4 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Fortinet certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the NSE4 exam.