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PASSEDnetwork / firewall_ha_sync_failure
Firewall HA Sync Failure
The HA synchronization between a FortiGate firewall cluster pair fails due to a mismatched firmware version after one unit was updated. Session tables are out of sync. If the primary fails, the secondary has a stale configuration that will break VPN tunnels and NAT rules.
Pattern
FORTINET_EVENT
Severity
CRITICAL
Confidence
95%
Remediation
Remote Hands
Test Results
| Metric | Expected | Actual | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pattern Recognition | FORTINET_EVENT | FORTINET_EVENT | |
| Severity Assessment | CRITICAL | CRITICAL | |
| Incident Correlation | Yes | 24 linked | |
| Cascade Escalation | N/A | No | |
| Remediation | — | Remote Hands — Corax contacts on-site support via call, email, or API |
Scenario Conditions
FortiGate 600E HA pair (active-passive). Primary: v7.4.3. Secondary: v7.4.1 (update failed). HA heartbeat active but config sync failing. 12,000 active sessions. 8 IPSec VPN tunnels.
Injected Error Messages (2)
FortiGate HA config sync failure — primary FW-01 (v7.4.3) cannot sync to secondary FW-02 (v7.4.1), Fortinet HA status: config out-of-sync, firmware mismatch detected, 47 config objects pending sync, session table delta: 3,200 sessions
FortiGate secondary FW-02 HA degraded — firmware version mismatch preventing full sync, secondary config stale (last sync: 6 hours ago), 8 IPSec VPN tunnel configs missing on secondary, NAT policy table incomplete, failover would cause outage
Neural Engine Root Cause Analysis
The FortiGate HA cluster is experiencing a critical failure due to firmware version mismatch between the primary FW-01 (v7.4.3) and secondary FW-02 (v7.4.1). This version incompatibility is preventing configuration synchronization, causing 47 config objects to remain in pending sync state and creating a 3,200 session delta. The HA cluster cannot maintain proper failover capability in this degraded state, representing a significant security and availability risk.
Remediation Plan
1. Immediately assess current traffic load and failover requirements. 2. Schedule maintenance window to align firmware versions - either downgrade FW-01 to v7.4.1 or upgrade FW-02 to v7.4.3 (recommended). 3. Before firmware changes, backup both devices' configurations. 4. Perform firmware alignment during low-traffic period. 5. After firmware sync, force HA configuration resynchronization. 6. Verify all 47 pending config objects sync successfully. 7. Validate session table synchronization and HA failover functionality. 8. Monitor HA status for 24 hours post-remediation.
Tested: 2026-03-30Monitors: 2 | Incidents: 2Test ID: cmncjl5kz02cuobqek6susg7e