When you first set up a PA-5450, both NC slots are ready to use. If you are working with a firewall that is already deployed, you should check slot status before adding a new NC to ensure that the NC slot is ready. If the firewall is in a high availability (HA) configuration, a newly installed NC stays in a disabled state until a matching NC is installed. After you install a matching NC in the same slot number in the HA peer firewall, you must enable the NCs.

The following commands describe how to view NC status and how to change the state of an NC.

To view NC status, run the following command:

For example, to view the status of slot 2 run the following command:

If an NC slot is ready to use, the status shows

empty

. When you insert an NC, the system updates the status of the slot.

After you successfully install an NC, the status shows

CardStatus Up

and

Config Status Success

.

You can power down a slot and the slot will stay in the down state until you power it on. Use the following commands to change the slot status:

To power on an NC slot:

To power off an NC slot:

To temporarily power down a slot:

In an HA configuration, you must install the same number and model of NCs in each appliance and the slot numbers must match. After you install the NCs in each appliance, the firewall keeps them in a disabled state until you enable them. This allows the firewall to start HA monitoring on both NCs.

Use the following command to bring up a pair of NCs in an HA configuration:

For example, to enable NCs installed in slot 2 of both appliances, run the following command:

For information on installing NCs, see Install a PA-5400 Series Firewall Networking Card (NC).