Setting up two new FortiGates as an FGCP cluster

To connect the cluster to the network

1. Connect the port1 interfaces of FGT_ha_1 and FGT_ha_2 to a switch connected to the Internet.

2. Connect the port2 interfaces of FGT_ha_1 and FGT_ha_2 to a switch connected to the internal network.

3. Connect the port3 interfaces of FGT_ha_1 and FGT_ha_2 together. You can use a crossover Ethernet cable or regular Ethernet cables and a switch.

4. Connect the port4 interfaces of the cluster units together. You can use a crossover Ethernet cable or regular

Ethernet cables and a switch.

5. Power on the cluster units.

The units start and negotiate to choose the primary unit and the subordinate unit. This negotiation occurs with no user intervention and normally takes less than a minute.

When negotiation is complete the cluster is ready to be configured for your network.

 

To view cluster status

Use the following steps to view cluster status from the CLI.

1. Determine which cluster unit is the primary unit.

  • Use the null-modem cable and serial connection to re-connect to the CLI of one of the cluster units.
  • Enter the command get system status.
  • If the command output includes Current HA mode: a-p, master, the cluster units are operating as a cluster and you have connected to the primary unit. Continue with Step “Setting up two new FortiGates as an FGCP cluster” on page 1361.
  • If the command output includes Current HA mode: a-p, backup, you have connected to a subordinate unit. Connect the null-modem cable to the other cluster unit, which should be the primary unit and continue with Step 2.

If the command output includes Current HA mode: standalone, the cluster unit is not operating in HA mode and you should review your HA configuration.

2. Enter the following command to confirm the HA configuration of the cluster:

get system ha status

Model: XXXXX Mode: a-p Group: 0

Debug: 0

ses_pickup: disable

Master:128 FGT_ha_2 FG600B3908600825 0

Slave :128 FGT_ha_1 FG600B3908600705 1 number of vcluster: 1

vcluster 1: work 169.254.0.1

Master:0 FG600B3908600825

Slave :1 FG600B3908600705

The command output shows both cluster units, their host names, their roles in the cluster, and their priorities. You can use this command to confirm that the cluster is operating normally. For example, if the command shows only one cluster unit then the other unit has left the cluster for some reason.

3. Check the cluster synchronization status to make sure the primary and backup units have the same configuration. Log into the primary unit CLI and enter this command:

diag sys ha cluster-csum

The CLI lists all members’ checksums. If both cluster units have identical checksums you can be sure that their configurations are synchronized. If the checksums are different wait a short while and enter the command again. Repeat until the checksums are identical. It may take a while for some parts of the configuration to be synchronized. If the checksums never become identical contact Fortinet support to help troubleshoot the problem.

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About Mike

Michael Pruett, CISSP has a wide range of cyber-security and network engineering expertise. The plethora of vendors that resell hardware but have zero engineering knowledge resulting in the wrong hardware or configuration being deployed is a major pet peeve of Michael's. This site was started in an effort to spread information while providing the option of quality consulting services at a much lower price than Fortinet Professional Services. Owns PacketLlama.Com (Fortinet Hardware Sales) and Office Of The CISO, LLC (Cybersecurity consulting firm).

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