Troubleshooting Tip: FortiGate not joining HA-Cluster due to an HA password mismatch

Run the following command to verify why FortiGate is not joining the HA cluster.

diagnose debug application hatalk  -1

diagnose debug application hasync -1   

diagnose debug console timestamp enable

diagnose debug enable
diagnose debug disable <- To disable the debug commands.

One of the possible reasons FortiGate does not join the HA cluster is due to an HA password mismatch.

Enter the correct password on FortiGate on the Primary or Secondary firewall (the password should match for both the Primary and Secondary firewalls).

To change the password from the CLI:

config system ha

    set password “ ha_password ”
end

After entering the correct password, FortiGate will join the HA cluster.