How many IPs are required for an HA pair?

• A. 5 -- 2xLAN1, 2xHA, 1xVIP
• B. 3
• C. 4
• D. 6

Answer: (A)

In an HA pair, you need IPs for management on each node, IPs that the two nodes use to coordinate failover, and a virtual IP that clients connect to. There are two management IPs (one on each node on LAN1) so you can manage or reach each appliance directly. Then you have two HA addresses that the nodes use to communicate and determine which one is active, ensuring a reliable failover path. Finally, there’s a single VIP that floats between the nodes so clients always connect to the active member without being aware of the failover happening. Add these up and you get five IPs in total, which is why five is the correct count.