Fortimail HA

[ByteHaven]

Hi everyone,

I would like some clarification regarding FortiMail HA in active–passive mode, specifically around IP addressing and routing/firewall configuration.

I already know how to configure HA itself, but my main question is about IP addresses:

• In an active–passive HA setup, do both FortiMail units use the same IP address, or does each unit keep a different IP address?

• I currently have a Virtual IP configured on my firewall (192.168.1.1) to forward SMTP traffic.
  At the moment, the primary FortiMail has IP 192.168.1.1(which is the VIP), and the secondary FortiMail has IP 192.168.1.2.

• SMTP traffic is currently being forwarded correctly to the primary unit.

My concern is failover behavior:

• What should be configured so that when the primary FortiMail goes down, the secondary automatically takes over?

• Once HA is configured and synchronized, does the secondary automatically take over the primary’s IP address (192.168.1.1), or do I need to modify something on the firewall side (VIP, routing, etc.)?

I want to make sure there is no mail disruption during a failover.

Thanks in advance for your help.