NSE7 Enterprise Firewall and VDOMs Practice Question
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
config system ha
set group-name "HA_Cluster"
set mode a-p
set hbdev "port1" 50 "port2" 50
set session-pickup enable
set session-pickup-connectionless enable
set ha-mgmt-status enable
set ha-mgmt-interface "port3"
set ha-mgmt-interface-gateway 10.10.10.1
set override enable
set priority 200
endAn administrator is reviewing the HA configuration shown in the exhibit. The primary unit has failed, and the secondary unit (with priority 100) has taken over. However, the administrator notices that the secondary unit has an IP address of 10.10.10.2 on port3, but cannot ping the management gateway 10.10.10.1. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates assume the secondary unit automatically inherits all IP addresses from the primary after failover, but FortiGate HA specifically requires explicit configuration for the management interface IP to be active on the secondary.
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 HA management interface IP is not active on the secondary
When the secondary unit takes over in an HA cluster, the HA management interface IP (configured under config system ha) is only active on the primary unit by default. Even after failover, the secondary unit does not automatically activate this IP unless the 'management-interface-ip' is explicitly configured to be active on the secondary. Since the secondary unit has IP 10.10.10.2 on port3 but cannot ping the management gateway 10.10.10.1, the most likely cause is that the HA management interface IP is not active on the secondary, meaning the secondary unit is using its own port3 IP (10.10.10.2) but the gateway expects the management IP to be reachable from that subnet, which it is not.
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 HA management interface IP is not active on the secondary
Why this is correct
The management IP is active only on the primary unit; the secondary uses the same IP after failover, but the network may not have updated.
- ✗
The hbdev configuration is incorrect
Why it's wrong here
hbdev is configured correctly.
- ✗
The override setting is preventing the secondary from taking over management
Why it's wrong here
override only affects priority, not management IP.
- ✗
session-pickup is not enabled
Why it's wrong here
session-pickup is enabled in the config.
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JA
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.