High Availability (HA) FAQ?

10/06/2023 105 People found this article helpful 296,341 Views

Description

This article will serve as an FAQ seeking to cover a variety of topics and questions related to High Availability (HA) Firewalls, including:

-What is a High Availability (HA) Device?

-Why Can I not apply activation keys to my HA Device?

-What is the difference between a Standalone Firewall, and a High Availability Appliance?

-What is the HA-To-Standalone conversion key?

-How do I register and associate/disassociate my HA device with a primary unit?

-What is “Stateful High Availability”?

Resolution

What is a High Availability (HA) Device?

A High Availability Firewall (often referred to as an HA Unit, HA Appliance, or HA Device), is a type of Firewall intended to be used as a back-up for an identical Standalone Firewall. Once it is associated to another device on www.mysonicwall.com and properly configured, the HA device will enter a standby state while sharing Security and Support licensing with its primary.

Under normal circumstances, the High Availability Appliance will remain in standby mode. In the event of a critical issue with the Primary Firewall that prevents normal function, the HA Unit will enter “Active” mode; the Secondary will take on Primary duties to prevent any interruption of service or network outages. Once the Primary comes back online, it will retake active status, and the HA will return to its standby state.

Why can I not apply my License Activation Keys to my HA Device? What is the difference between them?

High Availability (HA) Firewalls are intended to be used as a Secondary Unit in an HA Pairing between an active and backup unit. When associated as a pair, any licenses on the Primary are shared with the Secondary Device. This system provides our Customers and Partners the opportunity to reduce their overall Security costs, while offering critical redundancy to avoid service outages in case of any problems.

Due to this reduced cost, however, High Availability Devices have certain restrictions when compared to a Standalone Unit. HA Appliances cannot accept their own licensing, and it is not possible to apply most Activation Keys to an HA Unit. For this reason, it is recommended to buy a device labeled as High Availability (HA) *only* if you intend to pair it with a Standard Firewall.

I Purchased a High Availability (HA) Firewall instead of a Standalone. What do I do?

It is possible to convert existing High Availability Devices into Standalone units without needing to return or exchange your existing Firewall. To do so, you will need the HA-To-Standalone Conversion Key, which can be purchased directly through your MySonicWall account.

What is the HA-To-Standalone Conversion Key?

In an effort to bring down overall user costs for paired Devices, High Availability Units cost less than a Standalone Firewall of the same type. Normally, it is not possible to add licensing onto a High Availability Device. However, if you have unintentionally purchased an HA Firewall, or wish to use an existing HA Device as a Standalone, the HA-To-Standalone Conversion Key allows you to do so easily.

The cost of the conversion key simply covers the difference in price between a High Availability Unit, and a Standalone Firewall. This key can be purchased directly through your My SonicWall Licenses Page (Similar to all other licensing on www.mysonicwall.com). Once applied, your device will be upgraded into a Standalone unit. This allows you to add new licensing as desired.

How do I register and associate/unassociate my HA device with a primary unit?

HA devices can be registered in the exact same way as any other device on www.mysonicwall.com. You simply need to login to your MySonicWall account, and proceed with registering your new device through your “Register Products” page.

Once registered, you can enable your HA’s association to the intended primary unit through your MySonicWall account.

How to Associate your HA Pair:

On My SonicWall, go to your “Product Management ⇒ My Products” page. Find the Serial Numbers of the devices you wish to use as Primary and Secondary.
1. *If you are unsure which is the HA device, check the "Product Details" page of both Serial Numbers. The Secondary should display “HIGH AVAILABILITY” next to product description*

Click on the Serial Number of the Primary. On the product details page, click “HA Secondary” under the Associated Products Sub-Menu. Select the desired Secondary Serial Number in the drop-down list and press “Associate”. You should then see a green banner confirming the devices have been successfully associated.

You can also confirm the association on My SonicWall by clicking on the Serial Number for the Secondary device. The “Licenses” tab should now display the Primary's licenses on the device, with the message “Action on Primary” being displayed next to affected services.

How to unassociate your HA Pair:

Like the process for associating your devices, you will simply need to go to your “Product Management ⇒ My Products” page. Then, find and click on the Serial Number of the Primary Unit.
At the bottom of your “Product Details” page, look for the Secondary’s Serial Number under “Associated Devices”. To the right, there should be a small Trash Can Icon. Clicking on this will remove the association between the two devices on My SonicWall. This allows you to associate either device to another on your account, or free up your Secondary to be converted into a Standalone device if needed.

What is Stateful High Availability?

Stateful High Availability is an additional service that offers a noticeable improvement when compared to normal HA connections. With the normal Active/Standby mode configuration with HA pairs, network connections and VPN tunnels must be re-enabled by the Secondary before it completes its takeover.

Stateful HA allows the Primary and Secondary to maintain constant communication between the two devices, while simultaneously synchronizing their configured connections. This arrangement ensures there is no interruption of service during any potential Failover events.

To avoid any negative Service impact, the data speed of the Stateful Synchronization is controlled by the Firewall. This allows users to enjoy the full benefits of their Stateful Connection, without having to sacrifice overall network performance.

How can I configure my devices and troubleshoot any issues I find?

For any questions or concerns related to deployment/installation, configuration and other basic troubleshooting, please feel free to look for solutions in our online Knowledge Base. This contains plenty of useful articles covering a wide variety of topics.

For more complex Technical issues that require in-depth troubleshooting, or if you require assistance from one of our Technical Support agents, please call our Support Number +1-888-793-2830, send an email to support@sonicwall.com, or open a new Support case through My SonicWall. We will be happy to help you.

For concerns about the licensing or registration of your products, you can contact SonicWall Customer Service for more assistance. To open a new Customer Service case, you can call our Support Number +1-888-793-2830, send an email to customer_service@sonicwall.com, or open a new case through My SonicWall.

You can also find the local support number for your region on our website here.

-Tips for High Availability HA setup

-What is a Stateful High Availability?

-How can I register a product in MySonicWall account?

-How do I associate an HA pair in MySonicWall.com?

-How can I purchase licensing or support for SonicWall?

-How to contact SonicWall support?

-How to submit a support case online at MySonicWall.com