FortiManager HA cluster startup steps
FortiManager units configured for HA start up begin sending HA heartbeat packets to their configured peer IP addresses and also begin listening for HA heartbeat packets from their configured peer IP addresses.
When the FortiManager units receive HA heartbeat packets with a matching HA cluster ID and password from a peer IP address, the FortiManager unit assumes the peer is functioning.
When the primary unit is receiving HA heartbeat packets from all of the configured peers or backup units, the primary unit sets the cluster status to up. Once the cluster is up the primary unit then synchronizes its configuration to the backup unit. This synchronization process can take a few minutes depending on the size of the FortiManager database. During this time database and configuration changes made to the primary unit are not synchronized to the backup units. Once synchronization is complete, if changes were made during synchronization, they are re-synchronized to the backup units.
Most of the primary unit configuration, as well as the entire FortiManager database, are synchronized to the backup unit. Interface settings and HA settings are not synchronized. These settings must be configured on each cluster unit.
Once the synchronization is complete, the FortiManager HA cluster begins normal operation.