Match each high availability (HA) mode to its characteristic.
Drag a concept onto its matching description — or click a concept then click the description.
One unit handles traffic; standby takes over on failure
Both units handle traffic simultaneously
FortiGate Clustering Protocol
Synchronizes sessions between HA members
Link used for HA communication and 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: One unit is active, others are standby.
The correct matches are A and B. Common confusions involve swapping the characteristics: Active-Passive uses a single active unit with standby, while Active-Active uses all units to handle traffic.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Active-Passive: One unit is active, others are standby.
Why this is correct
In Active-Passive HA, only one unit actively processes traffic while others remain on standby to take over if the active unit fails.
Active-Active: All units handle traffic.
Why this is correct
In Active-Active HA, all units in the cluster are active and process traffic simultaneously, providing load balancing and redundancy.
Active-Passive: All units are active and load balance.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect — this describes Active-Active HA, not Active-Passive. In Active-Passive, standby units do not process traffic.
Active-Active: Only one unit processes traffic, others monitor.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect — this describes Active-Passive HA. In Active-Active, all units actively process traffic.
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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.