Use Case: Configure Active/Active HA with Floating IP Address Bound to Active-Primary Firewall
Table of Contents
Expand All
|
Collapse All
Next-Generation Firewall Docs
-
PAN-OS 10.1
- PAN-OS 11.1 & Later
- PAN-OS 11.0 (EoL)
- PAN-OS 10.2
- PAN-OS 10.1
- PAN-OS 10.0 (EoL)
- PAN-OS 9.1 (EoL)
- Cloud Management of NGFWs
-
- Management Interfaces
-
- Launch the Web Interface
- Configure Banners, Message of the Day, and Logos
- Use the Administrator Login Activity Indicators to Detect Account Misuse
- Manage and Monitor Administrative Tasks
- Commit, Validate, and Preview Firewall Configuration Changes
- Export Configuration Table Data
- Use Global Find to Search the Firewall or Panorama Management Server
- Manage Locks for Restricting Configuration Changes
-
-
- Define Access to the Web Interface Tabs
- Provide Granular Access to the Monitor Tab
- Provide Granular Access to the Policy Tab
- Provide Granular Access to the Objects Tab
- Provide Granular Access to the Network Tab
- Provide Granular Access to the Device Tab
- Define User Privacy Settings in the Admin Role Profile
- Restrict Administrator Access to Commit and Validate Functions
- Provide Granular Access to Global Settings
- Provide Granular Access to the Panorama Tab
- Provide Granular Access to Operations Settings
- Panorama Web Interface Access Privileges
-
- Reset the Firewall to Factory Default Settings
-
- Plan Your Authentication Deployment
- Pre-Logon for SAML Authentication
- Configure SAML Authentication
- Configure Kerberos Single Sign-On
- Configure Kerberos Server Authentication
- Configure TACACS+ Authentication
- Configure RADIUS Authentication
- Configure LDAP Authentication
- Configure Local Database Authentication
- Configure an Authentication Profile and Sequence
- Test Authentication Server Connectivity
- Troubleshoot Authentication Issues
-
- Keys and Certificates
- Default Trusted Certificate Authorities (CAs)
- Certificate Deployment
- Configure the Master Key
- Export a Certificate and Private Key
- Configure a Certificate Profile
- Configure an SSL/TLS Service Profile
- Configure an SSH Service Profile
- Replace the Certificate for Inbound Management Traffic
- Configure the Key Size for SSL Forward Proxy Server Certificates
-
- HA Overview
-
- Prerequisites for Active/Active HA
- Configure Active/Active HA
-
- Use Case: Configure Active/Active HA with Route-Based Redundancy
- Use Case: Configure Active/Active HA with Floating IP Addresses
- Use Case: Configure Active/Active HA with ARP Load-Sharing
- Use Case: Configure Active/Active HA with Floating IP Address Bound to Active-Primary Firewall
- Use Case: Configure Active/Active HA with Source DIPP NAT Using Floating IP Addresses
- Use Case: Configure Separate Source NAT IP Address Pools for Active/Active HA Firewalls
- Use Case: Configure Active/Active HA for ARP Load-Sharing with Destination NAT
- Use Case: Configure Active/Active HA for ARP Load-Sharing with Destination NAT in Layer 3
- HA Clustering Overview
- HA Clustering Best Practices and Provisioning
- Configure HA Clustering
- Refresh HA1 SSH Keys and Configure Key Options
- HA Firewall States
- Reference: HA Synchronization
-
- Use the Dashboard
- Monitor Applications and Threats
- Monitor Block List
-
- Report Types
- View Reports
- Configure the Expiration Period and Run Time for Reports
- Disable Predefined Reports
- Custom Reports
- Generate Custom Reports
- Generate the SaaS Application Usage Report
- Manage PDF Summary Reports
- Generate User/Group Activity Reports
- Manage Report Groups
- Schedule Reports for Email Delivery
- Manage Report Storage Capacity
- View Policy Rule Usage
- Use External Services for Monitoring
- Configure Log Forwarding
- Configure Email Alerts
-
- Configure Syslog Monitoring
-
- Traffic Log Fields
- Threat Log Fields
- URL Filtering Log Fields
- Data Filtering Log Fields
- HIP Match Log Fields
- GlobalProtect Log Fields
- IP-Tag Log Fields
- User-ID Log Fields
- Decryption Log Fields
- Tunnel Inspection Log Fields
- SCTP Log Fields
- Authentication Log Fields
- Config Log Fields
- System Log Fields
- Correlated Events Log Fields
- GTP Log Fields
- Audit Log Fields
- Syslog Severity
- Custom Log/Event Format
- Escape Sequences
- Forward Logs to an HTTP/S Destination
- Firewall Interface Identifiers in SNMP Managers and NetFlow Collectors
- Monitor Transceivers
-
- User-ID Overview
- Enable User-ID
- Map Users to Groups
- Enable User- and Group-Based Policy
- Enable Policy for Users with Multiple Accounts
- Verify the User-ID Configuration
-
- App-ID Overview
- App-ID and HTTP/2 Inspection
- Manage Custom or Unknown Applications
- Safely Enable Applications on Default Ports
- Applications with Implicit Support
-
- Prepare to Deploy App-ID Cloud Engine
- Enable or Disable the App-ID Cloud Engine
- App-ID Cloud Engine Processing and Usage
- New App Viewer (Policy Optimizer)
- Add Apps to an Application Filter with Policy Optimizer
- Add Apps to an Application Group with Policy Optimizer
- Add Apps Directly to a Rule with Policy Optimizer
- Replace an RMA Firewall (ACE)
- Impact of License Expiration or Disabling ACE
- Commit Failure Due to Cloud Content Rollback
- Troubleshoot App-ID Cloud Engine
- Application Level Gateways
- Disable the SIP Application-level Gateway (ALG)
- Maintain Custom Timeouts for Data Center Applications
-
- Decryption Overview
-
- Keys and Certificates for Decryption Policies
- SSL Forward Proxy
- SSL Forward Proxy Decryption Profile
- SSL Inbound Inspection
- SSL Inbound Inspection Decryption Profile
- SSL Protocol Settings Decryption Profile
- SSH Proxy
- SSH Proxy Decryption Profile
- Profile for No Decryption
- SSL Decryption for Elliptical Curve Cryptography (ECC) Certificates
- Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS) Support for SSL Decryption
- SSL Decryption and Subject Alternative Names (SANs)
- TLSv1.3 Decryption
- High Availability Not Supported for Decrypted Sessions
- Decryption Mirroring
- Configure SSL Forward Proxy
- Configure SSL Inbound Inspection
- Configure SSH Proxy
- Configure Server Certificate Verification for Undecrypted Traffic
- Enable Users to Opt Out of SSL Decryption
- Temporarily Disable SSL Decryption
- Configure Decryption Port Mirroring
- Verify Decryption
- Activate Free Licenses for Decryption Features
-
- Policy Types
- Policy Objects
- Track Rules Within a Rulebase
- Enforce Policy Rule Description, Tag, and Audit Comment
- Move or Clone a Policy Rule or Object to a Different Virtual System
-
- External Dynamic List
- Built-in External Dynamic Lists
- Configure the Firewall to Access an External Dynamic List
- Retrieve an External Dynamic List from the Web Server
- View External Dynamic List Entries
- Exclude Entries from an External Dynamic List
- Enforce Policy on an External Dynamic List
- Find External Dynamic Lists That Failed Authentication
- Disable Authentication for an External Dynamic List
- Register IP Addresses and Tags Dynamically
- Use Dynamic User Groups in Policy
- Use Auto-Tagging to Automate Security Actions
- CLI Commands for Dynamic IP Addresses and Tags
- Application Override Policy
- Test Policy Rules
-
- Network Segmentation Using Zones
- How Do Zones Protect the Network?
-
PAN-OS 11.1 & Later
- PAN-OS 11.1 & Later
- PAN-OS 11.0 (EoL)
- PAN-OS 10.2
- PAN-OS 10.1
-
- Tap Interfaces
-
- Layer 2 and Layer 3 Packets over a Virtual Wire
- Port Speeds of Virtual Wire Interfaces
- LLDP over a Virtual Wire
- Aggregated Interfaces for a Virtual Wire
- Virtual Wire Support of High Availability
- Zone Protection for a Virtual Wire Interface
- VLAN-Tagged Traffic
- Virtual Wire Subinterfaces
- Configure Virtual Wires
- Configure a PPPoE Client on a Subinterface
- Configure an IPv6 PPPoE Client
- Configure an Aggregate Interface Group
- Configure Bonjour Reflector for Network Segmentation
- Use Interface Management Profiles to Restrict Access
-
- DHCP Overview
- Firewall as a DHCP Server and Client
- Firewall as a DHCPv6 Client
- DHCP Messages
- Dynamic IPv6 Addressing on the Management Interface
- Configure an Interface as a DHCP Server
- Configure an Interface as a DHCPv4 Client
- Configure an Interface as a DHCPv6 Client with Prefix Delegation
- Configure the Management Interface as a DHCP Client
- Configure the Management Interface for Dynamic IPv6 Address Assignment
- Configure an Interface as a DHCP Relay Agent
-
- DNS Overview
- DNS Proxy Object
- DNS Server Profile
- Multi-Tenant DNS Deployments
- Configure a DNS Proxy Object
- Configure a DNS Server Profile
- Use Case 1: Firewall Requires DNS Resolution
- Use Case 2: ISP Tenant Uses DNS Proxy to Handle DNS Resolution for Security Policies, Reporting, and Services within its Virtual System
- Use Case 3: Firewall Acts as DNS Proxy Between Client and Server
- DNS Proxy Rule and FQDN Matching
-
- NAT Rule Capacities
- Dynamic IP and Port NAT Oversubscription
- Dataplane NAT Memory Statistics
-
- Translate Internal Client IP Addresses to Your Public IP Address (Source DIPP NAT)
- Create a Source NAT Rule with Persistent DIPP
- PAN-OS
- Strata Cloud Manager
- Enable Clients on the Internal Network to Access your Public Servers (Destination U-Turn NAT)
- Enable Bi-Directional Address Translation for Your Public-Facing Servers (Static Source NAT)
- Configure Destination NAT with DNS Rewrite
- Configure Destination NAT Using Dynamic IP Addresses
- Modify the Oversubscription Rate for DIPP NAT
- Reserve Dynamic IP NAT Addresses
- Disable NAT for a Specific Host or Interface
-
- Network Packet Broker Overview
- How Network Packet Broker Works
- Prepare to Deploy Network Packet Broker
- Configure Transparent Bridge Security Chains
- Configure Routed Layer 3 Security Chains
- Network Packet Broker HA Support
- User Interface Changes for Network Packet Broker
- Limitations of Network Packet Broker
- Troubleshoot Network Packet Broker
-
- Enable Advanced Routing
- Logical Router Overview
- Configure a Logical Router
- Create a Static Route
- Configure BGP on an Advanced Routing Engine
- Create BGP Routing Profiles
- Create Filters for the Advanced Routing Engine
- Configure OSPFv2 on an Advanced Routing Engine
- Create OSPF Routing Profiles
- Configure OSPFv3 on an Advanced Routing Engine
- Create OSPFv3 Routing Profiles
- Configure RIPv2 on an Advanced Routing Engine
- Create RIPv2 Routing Profiles
- Create BFD Profiles
- Configure IPv4 Multicast
- Configure MSDP
- Create Multicast Routing Profiles
- Create an IPv4 MRoute
-
-
PAN-OS 11.2
- PAN-OS 11.2
- PAN-OS 11.1
- PAN-OS 11.0 (EoL)
- PAN-OS 10.2
- PAN-OS 10.1
- PAN-OS 10.0 (EoL)
- PAN-OS 9.1 (EoL)
- PAN-OS 9.0 (EoL)
- PAN-OS 8.1 (EoL)
- Cloud Management and AIOps for NGFW
Use Case: Configure Active/Active HA with Floating IP Address Bound to Active-Primary Firewall
In mission-critical data centers, you may
want both Layer 3 HA firewalls to participate in path monitoring
so that they can detect path failures upstream from both firewalls.
Additionally, you prefer to control if and when the floating IP
address returns to the recovered firewall after it comes back up,
rather than the floating IP address returning to the device ID to
which it is bound. (That default behavior is described in Floating
IP Address and Virtual MAC Address.)
In this use case,
you control when the floating IP address and therefore the active-primary
role move back to a recovered HA peer. The active/active HA firewalls share
a single floating IP address that you bind to whichever firewall
is in the active-primary state. With only one floating IP address,
network traffic flows predominantly to a single firewall, so this
active/active deployment functions like an active/passive deployment.
In
this use case, Cisco Nexus 7010 switches with virtual PortChannels
(vPCs) operating in Layer 3 connect to the firewalls. You must configure
the Layer 3 switches (router peers) north and south of the firewalls
with a route preference to the floating IP address. That is, you
must design your network so the route tables of the router peers
have the best path to the floating IP address. This example uses
static routes with the proper metrics so that the route to the floating
IP address uses a lower metric (the route to the floating IP address
is preferred) and receives the traffic. An alternative to using
static routes would be to design the network to redistribute the
floating IP address into the OSPF routing protocol (if you are using
OSPF).
The following topology illustrates the floating IP
address bound to the active-primary firewall, which is initially
Peer A, the firewall on the left.

Upon a
failover, when the active-primary firewall (Peer A) goes down and
the active-secondary firewall (Peer B) takes over as the active-primary
peer, the floating IP address moves to Peer B (shown in the following
figure). Peer B remains the active-primary firewall and traffic
continues to go to Peer B, even when Peer A recovers and
becomes the active-secondary firewall. You decide if and when to
make Peer A the active-primary firewall again.

Binding
the floating IP address to the active-primary firewall provides
you with more control over how the firewalls determine floating
IP address ownership as they move between various HA
Firewall States. The following advantages result:
- You can have an active/active HA configuration for path monitoring out of both firewalls, but have the firewalls function like an active/passive HA configuration because traffic directed to the floating IP address always goes to the active-primary firewall.
When
you disable preemption on both firewalls, you have the following
additional benefits:
- The floating IP address does not move back and forth between HA firewalls if the active-secondary firewall flaps up and down.
- You can review the functionality of the recovered firewall and the adjacent components before manually directing traffic to it again, which you can do at a convenient down time.
- You have control over which firewall owns the floating IP address so that you keep all flows of new and existing sessions on the active-primary firewall, thereby minimizing traffic on the HA3 link.
- We strongly recommended you configure HA link monitoring on the interface(s) that support the floating IP address(es) to allow each HA peer to quickly detect a link failure and fail over to its peer. Both HA peers must have link monitoring for it to function.
- We strongly recommend you configure HA path monitoring to notify each HA peer when a path has failed so a firewall can fail over to its peer. Because the floating IP address is always bound to the active-primary firewall, the firewall cannot automatically fail over to the peer when a path goes down and path monitoring is not enabled.
You
cannot configure NAT for a floating IP address that is bound to
an active-primary firewall.
- (Optional) Disable preemption.Disabling preemption allows you full control over when the recovered firewall becomes the active-primary firewall.
- In DeviceHigh AvailabilityGeneral, edit the Election Settings.
- Clear Preemptive if it is enabled.
- Click OK.
- Perform Step 7 through Step 14 of Configure Active/Active HA.
- Configure Session Owner and Session Setup.
- In DeviceHigh AvailabilityActive/Active Config, edit Packet Forwarding.
- For Session Owner Selection, we recommend you select Primary Device. The firewall that is in active-primary state is the session owner.Alternatively, for Session Owner Selection you can select First Packet and then for Session Setup, select Primary Device or First Packet.
- For Session Setup, select Primary Device—The active-primary firewall sets up all sessions. This is the recommended setting if you want your active/active configuration to behave like an active/passive configuration because it keeps all activity on the active-primary firewall.You must also engineer your network to eliminate the possibility of asymmetric traffic going to the HA pair. If you don’t do so and traffic goes to the active-secondary firewall, setting Session Owner Selection and Session Setup to Primary Device causes the traffic to traverse HA3 to get to the active-primary firewall for session ownership and session setup.
- Click OK.
- Configure an HA virtual address.
- Select DeviceHigh AvailabilityActive/Active ConfigVirtual Address and click Add.
- Enter or select an Interface.
- Select the IPv4 or IPv6 tab and Add an IPv4 Address or IPv6 Address.
- For Type, select Floating, which configures the virtual IP address to be a floating IP address.
- Click OK.
- Bind the floating IP address to the active-primary firewall.
- Select Floating IP bound to the Active-Primary device.
- Select Failover address if link state is down to cause the firewall to use the failover address when the link state on the interface is down.
- Click OK.
- Commit the configuration.
- Configure the peer firewall in the same way, except selecting a different Device ID.For example, if you selected Device ID 0 for the first firewall, select Device ID 1 for the peer firewall.