FortiGate–3950B and FortiGate-3951B — load balance mode

Adding one or more FMC-XG2 modules to your FortiGate-3950B allows you to enable load balance mode. This feature allows you increased flexibility in how you use the interfaces on the FortiGate unit. The FortiGate-3951B is similar to the FortiGate-3950B, except it trades one FMC slot for four FSM slots. The network interfaces available on each model are identical.

When enabled, traffic between any two interfaces (excluding management and console) is accelerated whether they are the six interfaces on the FortiGate-3950B itself, or on any installed FMC modules. Traffic is not limited to entering and leaving the FortiGate unit in specific interface groupings to benefit from NP4 and SP2 acceleration. You can use any pair of interfaces.

Security acceleration in this mode is limited, however. Only IPS scanning is accelerated in load balance mode.

 

The FortiGate-3950B in load balance mode

FMC

FMFCM–CF20

FMC1

ACTIVE

FMC3

SERVICE

1 / 2

3 / 4

5 / 6

7 / 8

9 / 10

11 / 12

13 / 14

15 / 16

17 / 18

19 / 20

 

FMCC–XG2

FFMMC–CC20

FMC4

FMC2

ACTIVE SERVICE

1 (SFP +)       2 (SFP +)

ACTIVE

SERVICE

1 / 2                  3 / 4                  5 / 6                  7 / 8                    9 / 10              11 / 12              13 / 14              15 / 16              17 / 18              19 / 20

 

FortiGate 3950B

CONSOLE

MGMT 1

1                      3                     5 (SFP+)

SWIITCH

FMC

FMC5

I/O

STATUS ALARM HA POWER

USB MGMT

USB

MGMT 2

2                      4                     6 (SFP+)

1       5       9       13     17      21

2       6       10     14     18     22

3       7       11     15     19     23

4       8       12     16     20     24

Integrated Switch Fabric

FortiASIC SP2

FortiASIC NP4

System Bus

CP7

CPU

To enable this feature, issue this CLI command.

config system global

set sp-load-balance enable end

The FortiGate unit will then restart.

 

To return to the default mode, issue this CLI command.

config system global

set sp-load-balance disable end

 

 

FortiGate–5001C

The FortiGate-5001C board includes two NP4 processors connected to an integrated switch fabric:

• The port1, fabric1, and base1 interfaces are connected to one NP4 processor.
• The port2, fabric2, and base2 interfaces are connected to the other NP4 processor.

fabric1

fabric2

base1

base2

Integrated Switch Fabric

FortiASIC NP4

FortiASIC NP4

System Bus

CP7

CPU