NSE7 Troubleshooting and Diagnostics Practice Question
A FortiGate is set up in a high availability (HA) cluster. The administrator notices that the primary unit is not synchronizing configuration changes to the secondary unit. The HA status shows 'synchronization failed'. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to assume HA synchronization issues are always caused by network or heartbeat problems, overlooking the fundamental requirement that the configuration must be saved before it can be synchronized.
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
✓
The configuration has not been saved on the primary unit.
FortiGate HA requires the configuration to be saved (via 'execute backup config' or 'write memory') on the primary unit before it can be synchronized to the secondary unit. If the configuration is not saved, the primary unit does not have a committed configuration to push, leading to a 'synchronization failed' status even though the HA cluster is otherwise healthy.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The firmware versions are different on the two units.
Why it's wrong here
Firmware mismatch would prevent HA from forming at all.
- ✗
The HA heartbeat interface is down.
Why it's wrong here
A down heartbeat interface would cause cluster split, not just sync failure.
- ✗
NAT policies are misconfigured.
Why it's wrong here
NAT policies do not affect HA synchronization.
- ✓
The configuration has not been saved on the primary unit.
Why this is correct
HA sync only occurs after the configuration is saved; unsaved changes are not synchronized.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This NSE7 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 NSE7 exam.