High Availability Product Details

Why High Availability?

In today's economy, information is a key factor to success. Your network is the key that allows fast, easy access to information in your office and around the world. To ensure that information access your network infrastructure must provide reliable, secure connections to the Internet. Your GTA Firewall Appliance forms the foundation for your network security by preventing unauthorized access to your network. Have you considered what would happen to your network security if your firewall went down? There’s a simple solution that will eliminate that concern - add H2A, GTA’s high availability option. With H2A, you can be sure that firewall downtime does not mean network access downtime. H2A is an option for GB-3000, GB-2000X, GB-2000e, GB-2000, GB-1500, GB-1200, GB-1000R, GB-800e, GB-800 and GB-750. All units in an H2A chain must be identically configured.

H2A allows you to build a continuously available firewall system of GTA Firewalls. The basic high availability configuration consists of two identical GTA Firewall Appliances each with the H2A option activated. The GTA Firewall Appliances operate as one virtual GTA Firewall system so you can locate them anywhere on your network without the need of connecting cables. Should the primary GTA Firewall Appliance go offline, the secondary GTA Firewall Appliance automatically and transparently switches to primary mode. You organization never loses secure network access.

Option Availablity

Product Standard Optional Not available
GB-3000
Yes
GB-2000X
Yes
GB-2000e
Yes
GB-2000
Yes
GB-800e
Yes
GB-800
Yes
GB-250e

Yes
GB-250

Yes
GB-Ware

Yes
GB-1500
Yes
GB-1200
Yes
GB-750
Yes
GB-500

Yes
GB-200
Yes

Key Features:

  • Maintain network security in case of primary firewall downtime
  • No cabling required, simply install the identical GTA Firewall Appliances anywhere on the same network.
  • Activate with a software code
  • Quick, easy installation and set-up
  • Fast and transparent failover when required
  • Configurations maintained seamlessly during failover
  • Configure and manage with standard GB-OS interfaces

How it works

Building a high availability network firewall infrastructure has never been easier. Using two identical GTA Firewall Appliances with GB-OS (ver 3.2 and higher) you can quickly be up and running with a fully redundant, continuously available firewall system. There's no additional software to install. Simply purchase a H2A license for each GTA Firewall Appliance and enter the supplied activation code through GTA's online support center to enable H2A on your firewall.

flow chart high availability
Once your H2A option has been activated and configured, the systems work together transparently to ensure that your network has constant firewall coverage. Each GTA Firewall Appliance continuously listens to network activity for H2A status and responds to changes in H2A information by moving from listening (secondary) to primary (active) modes as needed. In addition, the primary H2A firewall appliance unit also polls each of its interfaces for functionality and should an interface fail, the primary H2A firewall appliance unit moves to listening mode allowing one of the listening H2A firewall appliances to take over as the primary unit. The H2A system works seamlessly and transparently protecting your network from firewall downtime.

For organizations with 24 x 7 mission critical operations, GTA's H2A option provides an extra level of fail-over redundancy by allowing more than two GTA Firewall Appliances in the high availability chain. Each secondary firewall appliance is ready to take over primary firewall functionality should the need arise.

When H2A is paired with GTA's Premium 24 x 7 Support option including hot swap warranty exchange, your organization can be assured that your network security is maintained at all times.

System Requirements

  • H2A is an option for GB-3000, GB-2000X, GB-2000e, GB-2000, GB-1500, GB-1200, GB-1000R, GB-800e, GB-800 and the GB-750 firewalls. All units in an H2A chain must be identically configured.
  • Two (2) or more GTA H2A compatible firewalll appliances with identical hardware and software configurations. In addition to utilizing identical GTA firewall models in a H2A conifgurations, the following GTA firewall groups can be utilized in the same H2A cluster as long as they are identically configured - GB-2000e & GB-1500; or GB-2000, GB-1200 & GB-1000R or GB-800e & GB-750.
  • GB-OS System Software version 3.2 (or higher)
  • H2A– high availability license for each GTA Firewall in the high availability chain


 
'GB-OS', 'Surf Sentinel', 'Mail Sentinel' and 'GB-Ware' are registered trademarks of Global Technology Associates, Incorporated.
'GB Commander' is a trademark of Global Technology Associates, Incorporated.
'Global Technology Associates' and 'GTA' are service marks of Global Technology Associates, Incorporated.