FIM failure

If one or more FIMs in the primary FortiGate 7000F fails, the cluster renegotiates and the FortiGate 7000F with the most operating FIMs becomes the primary FortiGate 7000F. An FIM failure can occur if the FIM shuts down due to a software crash or hardware problem, or if the FIM is manually shut down or even removed from the chassis.

After the primary FortiGate 7000F experiences an FIM failure, the FortiGate 7000F with the most operating FIMs becomes the new primary FortiGate 7000F. The new primary FortiGate 7000F sends gratuitous arp packets out all of its connected interfaces to inform attached switches to send traffic to it. Sessions then resume with the new primary FortiGate 7000F.

If the secondary FortiGate 7000F experiences an FIM failure, its status in the cluster does not change. However, in future negotiations the FortiGate 7000F with an FIM failure is less likely to become the primary FortiGate 7000F.