Reference: HA Synchronization
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- Cloud Management of NGFWs
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- Cloud Management and AIOps for NGFW
- PAN-OS 10.0 (EoL)
- PAN-OS 10.1
- PAN-OS 10.2
- PAN-OS 11.0
- PAN-OS 11.1
- PAN-OS 11.2
- PAN-OS 8.1 (EoL)
- PAN-OS 9.0 (EoL)
- PAN-OS 9.1 (EoL)
Reference: HA Synchronization
If you have enabled configuration synchronization on both peers in an HA pair, most of the
configuration settings you configure on one peer will automatically sync to the other
peer upon commit. To avoid configuration conflicts, always make configuration changes on
the active (active/passive) or active-primary (active/active) peer and wait for the
changes to sync to the peer before making any additional configuration changes.
Only committed configurations synchronize between HA peers. Any configuration in the commit
queue at the time of an HA sync will not be synchronized.
- What Doesn't Sync in Active/Passive HA?
- What Doesn't Sync in Active/Active HA?
- System Runtime Information Synchronized Between HA Peers
- CLI Commands for HA Synchronization
- Reasons That Synchronization Doesn't Happen
What Doesn't Sync in Active/Passive HA?
The following table identifies which configuration settings don't synchronize in
active/passive HA. You must configure the settings on each firewall in the HA pair;
the settings do not sync from one peer to another.
Configuration Item
|
What Doesn’t Sync in Active/Passive?
|
---|---|
Management Interface Settings
|
All management configuration settings must be configured
individually on each firewall, including:
|
Multi-vsys Capability
|
You must activate the Virtual Systems license on each firewall in
the pair to increase the number of virtual systems beyond the
base number provided by default on PA-400 Series, PA-3200
Series, PA-3400 Series, PA-5200 Series, PA-5400 Series, and
PA-7000 Series firewalls.
You must also enable Multi Virtual System
Capability on each firewall (DeviceSetupManagementGeneral Settings).
|
Panorama Settings
|
Set the following Panorama settings on each firewall (DeviceSetupManagementPanorama Settings).
|
SNMP
|
DeviceSetupOperationsSNMP Setup
|
Services
|
DeviceSetupServices
|
Global Service Routes
|
DeviceSetupServicesService Route Configuration
|
Data Protection
|
DeviceSetupContent-IDManage Data Protection
|
Jumbo Frames
|
DeviceSetupSessionSession SettingsEnable Jumbo Frame
|
Packet Buffer Protection
|
DeviceSetupSessionSession SettingsPacket Buffer Protection
NetworkZonesEnable Packet Buffer Protection
|
Forward Proxy Server Certificate Settings
|
DeviceSetupSessionDecryption SettingsSSL Forward Proxy Settings
|
Master Key Secured by HSM
|
DeviceSetupHSMHardware Security Module ProviderMaster Key Secured by HSM
|
Log Export Settings
|
DeviceScheduled Log Export
|
Software Updates
|
With software updates, you can either download and install them
separately on each firewall, or download them on one peer and
sync the update to the other peer. You must install the update
on each peer (DeviceSoftware).
|
GlobalProtect Agent Package
|
With GlobalProtect app updates, you can either download and
install them separately on each firewall, or download them to
one peer and sync the update to the other peer. You must
activate separately on each peer (DeviceGlobalProtect Client).
|
Content Updates
|
With content updates, you can either download and install them
separately on each firewall, or download them on one peer and
sync the update to the other peer. You must install the update
on each peer (DeviceDynamic Updates).
|
Licenses/Subscriptions
|
DeviceLicenses
|
Support Subscription
|
DeviceSupport
|
Master Key
|
The master key must be identical on each firewall in the HA pair,
but you must manually enter it on each firewall (DeviceMaster Key and Diagnostics).
Before changing the master key, you must disable config sync on
both peers (DeviceHigh AvailabilityGeneralSetup and clear the Enable Config
Sync check box) and then re-enable it after you
change the keys.
|
Reports, logs, and Dashboard Settings
|
Log data, reports, and Dashboard data and settings (column
display, widgets) are not synced between peers. Report
configuration settings, however, are synced.
|
HA settings
|
DeviceHigh Availability
|
Decryption | After a failover, firewalls do not support HA sync for decrypted SSL sessions. |
Rule Usage Data
|
Rule usage data, such as hit count, Created, and Modified Dates,
are not synced between peers. You need to log in to the each
firewall to view the policy rule hit count data for each
firewall or use Panorama to view information on the HA firewall
peers.
|
Certificates for Device Management and Syslog Communication over
SSL only
|
DeviceCertificate ManagementCertificates
Certificates used for device management or for syslog
communication over SSL don’t synchronize with an HA peer.
Although the certificates used for the
management interface are not synchronized (and can be
different), the name of the certificate entry should be the same
for the active and passive devices. |
Certificates in a Certificate Profile
|
DeviceCertificate ManagementCertificate Profile
|
SSL/TLS Service Profile for Device Management only
|
DeviceCertificate ManagementSSL/TLS Service Profile
SSL/TLS Service Profile for Device Management doesn’t synchronize
with an HA peer.
|
Device-ID and IoT Security
|
IP address-to-device mappings and policy rule recommendations
don’t synchronize with an HA peer.
|
What Doesn't Sync in Active/Active HA?
The following table identifies which configuration settings don't synchronize in
active/active HA. You must configure the settings on each firewall in the HA pair;
the settings do not sync from one peer to another.
Configuration Item
|
What Doesn’t Sync in Active/Active?
|
---|---|
Management Interface Settings
|
You must configure all management settings individually on each
firewall, including:
|
Multi-vsys Capability
|
You must activate the Virtual Systems license on each firewall in
the pair to increase the number of virtual systems beyond the
base number provided by default on PA-400 Series, PA-3200
Series, PA-3400 Series, PA-5200 Series, PA-5400 Series, and
PA-7000 Series firewalls.
You must also enable Multi Virtual System
Capability on each firewall (DeviceSetupManagementGeneral Settings).
|
Panorama Settings
|
Set the following Panorama settings on each firewall (DeviceSetupManagementPanorama Settings).
|
SNMP
|
DeviceSetupOperationsSNMP Setup
|
Services
|
DeviceSetupServices
|
Global Service Routes
|
DeviceSetupServicesService Route Configuration
|
Telemetry and Threat Intelligence Settings
|
DeviceSetupTelemetry and Threat Intelligence
|
Data Protection
|
DeviceSetupContent-IDManage Data Protection
|
Jumbo Frames
|
DeviceSetupSessionSession SettingsEnable Jumbo Frame
|
Packet Buffer Protection
|
DeviceSetupSessionSession SettingsPacket Buffer Protection
NetworkZonesEnable Packet Buffer Protection
|
Forward Proxy Server Certificate Settings
|
DeviceSetupSessionDecryption SettingsSSL Forward Proxy Settings
|
HSM Configuration
|
DeviceSetupHSM
|
Log Export Settings
|
DeviceScheduled Log Export
|
Software Updates
|
With software updates, you can either download and install them
separately on each firewall, or download them on one peer and
sync the update to the other peer. You must install the update
on each peer (DeviceSoftware).
|
GlobalProtect Agent Package
|
With GlobalProtect app updates, you can either download and
install them separately on each firewall, or download them to
one peer and sync the update to the other peer. You must
activate separately on each peer (DeviceGlobalProtect Client).
|
Content Updates
|
With content updates, you can either download and install them
separately on each firewall, or download them on one peer and
sync the update to the other peer. You must install the update
on each peer (DeviceDynamic Updates).
|
Licenses/Subscriptions
|
DeviceLicenses
|
Support Subscription
|
DeviceSupport
|
Ethernet Interface IP Addresses
|
All Ethernet interface configuration settings sync except for the
IP address (NetworkInterfaceEthernet).
|
Loopback Interface IP Addresses
|
All Loopback interface configuration settings sync except for the
IP address (NetworkInterfaceLoopback).
|
Tunnel Interface IP Addresses
|
All Tunnel interface configuration settings sync except for the
IP address (NetworkInterfaceTunnel).
|
LACP System Priority
|
Each peer must have a unique LACP System ID in an active/active
deployment (NetworkInterfaceEthernetAdd Aggregate GroupSystem Priority).
|
VLAN Interface IP Address
|
All VLAN interface configuration settings sync except for the IP
address (NetworkInterfaceVLAN).
|
Virtual Routers
|
Virtual router configuration synchronizes only if you have
enabled VR Sync (DeviceHigh AvailabilityActive/Active ConfigPacket Forwarding). Whether or not to do this depends on your
network design, including whether you have asymmetric
routing.
|
IPSec Tunnels
|
IPSec tunnel configuration synchronization is dependent on
whether you have configured the Virtual Addresses to use
Floating IP addresses (DeviceHigh AvailabilityActive/Active ConfigVirtual Address). If you have configured a floating IP address,
these settings sync automatically. Otherwise, you must configure
these settings independently on each peer.
|
GlobalProtect Portal Configuration
|
GlobalProtect portal configuration synchronization is dependent
on whether you have configured the Virtual Addresses to use
Floating IP addresses (NetworkGlobalProtectPortals). If you have configured a floating IP address,
the GlobalProtect portal configuration settings sync
automatically. Otherwise, you must configure the portal settings
independently on each peer.
|
GlobalProtect Gateway Configuration
|
GlobalProtect gateway configuration synchronization is dependent
on whether you have configured the Virtual Addresses to use
Floating IP addresses (NetworkGlobalProtectGateways). If you have configured a floating IP address,
the GlobalProtect gateway configuration settings sync
automatically. Otherwise, you must configure the gateway
settings independently on each peer.
|
QoS
|
QoS configuration synchronizes only if you have enabled
QoS Sync (DeviceHigh AvailabilityActive/Active ConfigPacket Forwarding). You might choose not to sync QoS setting if,
for example, you have different bandwidth on each link or
different latency through your service providers.
|
LLDP
|
No LLDP state or individual firewall data is synchronized in an
active/active configuration (NetworkNetwork ProfilesLLDP).
|
BFD
|
No BFD configuration or BFD session data is synchronized in an
active/active configuration (NetworkNetwork ProfilesBFD Profile).
|
IKE Gateways
|
IKE gateway configuration synchronization is dependent on whether
you have configured the Virtual Addresses to use floating IP
addresses (NetworkIKE Gateways). If you have configured a floating IP address,
the IKE gateway configuration settings sync automatically.
Otherwise, you must configure the IKE gateway settings
independently on each peer.
|
Master Key
|
The master key must be identical on each firewall in the HA pair,
but you must manually enter it on each firewall (DeviceMaster Key and Diagnostics).
Before changing the master key, you must disable config sync on
both peers (DeviceHigh AvailabilityGeneralSetup and clear the Enable Config
Sync check box) and then re-enable it after you
change the keys.
|
Reports, logs, and Dashboard Settings
|
Log data, reports, and dashboard data and settings (column
display, widgets) are not synced between peers. Report
configuration settings, however, are synced.
|
HA settings
|
|
Decryption | After a failover, firewalls do not support HA sync for decrypted SSL sessions. |
Rule Usage Data
|
Rule usage data, such as hit count, Created, and Modified Dates,
are not synced between peers. You need to log in to the each
firewall to view the policy rule hit count data for each
firewall or use Panorama to view information on the HA firewall
peers.
|
Certificates for Device Management and Syslog Communication over
SSL only
|
DeviceCertificate ManagementCertificates
Certificates used for device management or for syslog
communication over SSL don’t synchronize with an HA peer.
|
Certificates in a Certificate Profile
|
DeviceCertificate ManagementCertificate Profile
|
SSL/TLS Service Profile for Device Management only
|
DeviceCertificate ManagementSSL/TLS Service Profile
SSL/TLS Service Profile for Device Management doesn’t synchronize
with an HA peer.
|
Device-ID and IoT Security
|
IP address-to-device mappings and policy rule recommendations
don’t synchronize with an HA peer.
|
System Runtime Information Synchronized Between HA Peers
The following table summarizes the system runtime information that is synchronized
between HA peers.
Runtime Information
|
Information Synced?
|
HA Link
|
Details
| |
---|---|---|---|---|
A/P
|
A/A
| |||
Management Plane
| ||||
User to Group Mappings
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
HA1
| |
User Mappings across Virtual Systems
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
HA1
| |
User to IP Address Mappings
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
HA1
|
In an A/A configuration, only the Active-Primary peer connects to
User-ID Servers or Agents, and not the Active-Secondary peer. If
the Active-Primary peer is Suspended or offline, the
Active-Secondary peer connects to the User-ID Servers or
Agents.
|
DHCP Lease (as server)
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
HA1
|
If the PAN-OS versions on the HA peers don’t match, the DHCP
Lease (as server) config information won’t sync.
|
DNS Cache
|
No
|
No
|
N/A
| |
FQDN Refresh
|
No
|
No
|
N/A
| |
IKE SAs [Security Associations] (phase 1)
|
No
|
No
|
N/A
| |
Forward Information Base (FIB)
|
Yes
|
No
|
HA1
| |
Multicast FIB (MFIB)
|
Yes
|
No
|
HA1
| |
PAN-DB URL Cache
|
Yes
|
No
|
HA1
|
This is synchronized upon database backup to disk (every eight
hours, when URL database version updates), or when the firewall
reboots.
|
Content (manual sync)
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
HA1
| |
PPPoE, PPPoE Lease
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
HA1
| |
DHCP Client Settings and Lease
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
HA1
|
If the PAN-OS versions on the HA peers don’t match, the DHCP
Client Settings and Lease config information won’t sync.
|
SSL VPN Logged in User List
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
HA1
| |
Dataplane
| ||||
Session Table
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
HA2
|
|
ARP Table
|
Yes
|
No
|
HA2
| |
Multicast Session Table
|
Yes
|
No
|
HA2
| |
Neighbor Discovery (ND) Table
|
Yes
|
No
|
HA2
| |
MAC Table
|
Yes
|
No
|
HA2
| |
IPSec SAs [Security Associations] (phase 2)
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
HA2
| |
IPSec Sequence Number (anti-replay)
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
HA2
| |
DoS Block List Entries
|
No
|
No
|
N/A
| |
Virtual MAC
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
HA2
| |
SCTP Associations
|
Yes
|
No
|
HA2
|
CLI Commands for HA Synchronization
You can use the following CLI operational command and options to synchronize HA
peers:
username@hostname>request high-availability sync-to-remote
>candidate-config Sync candidate configuration to peer
>clock Sync the local time and date to the peer
>id-manager id-manager
>running-config Sync running configuration to peer
>ssh-key Sync ha ssh key to peer
A configuration pushed from Panorama isn't synchronized between firewalls. If you use
Panorama to manage firewalls, you could decide, for example, to use the no form of
the following CLI configuration command to disable configuration synchronization on
the firewalls:
username@hostname#set deviceconfig high-availability group configuration-synchronization enabled
no no
yes yes
Use the no form of the following CLI configuration command to disable state (session)
synchronization on the firewalls:
username@hostname#set deviceconfig high-availability group state-synchronization enabled
no no
yes yes
Reasons That Synchronization Doesn't Happen
Sessions won't synchronize for the following reasons:
- If you disable session (state) synchronization.
- If the HA2 link or connection is down.
The HA configurations won't synchronize for the following reasons:
- If you disabled configuration synchronization on either HA peer.
- If the PAN-OS versions are incompatible on HA peers.
- If configurations on HA peers are not already synchronized.
- If Multi Virtual System Capability is enabled on one HA peer and not the other.
- If GTP is enabled on one HA peer and not the other.
- If SCTP is enabled on one HA peer and not the other.
- If VPN is enabled on one HA peer and not the other.
- If the same features aren't enabled on both HA peers.
- If the dataplane and slots aren't ready on an HA peer.
- If the URL databases are incompatible on the HA peers.
- If the licenses aren't the same on the HA peers.
- Additionally, a plugin mismatch might (not always) prevent configurations from synchronizing.