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> Chapter 13 - High Availability > An introduction to the FGCP > Preparing the FortiGates before you set up a FGCP cluster

Preparing the FortiGates before setting up a FGCP cluster

Before creating an FGCP cluster you should complete the following setup on each FortiGate.

DHCP and PPPoE

Make sure your FortiGate interfaces are configured with static IP addresses. If any interface gets its address using DHCP or PPPoE you should temporarily switch it to a static address and enable DHCP or PPPoE after the cluster has been established.

Firmware version

Make sure the FortiGates are running the same FortiOS firmware version.

FortiOS Carrier license

If the FortiGates in the cluster will be running FortiOS Carrier, apply the FortiOS Carrier license before configuring the cluster (and before applying other licenses). Applying the FortiOS Carrier license sets the configuration to factory defaults, requiring you to repeat steps performed before applying the license.

Licenses (Support, FortiGuard, FortiCloud, FortiClient, FortiToken Mobile, VDOMs)

Register and apply licenses to each FortiGate. This includes FortiCloud activation and FortiClient licensing, and entering a license key if you purchased more than 10 Virtual Domains (VDOMS). FortiToken licenses can be added at any time because they are synchronized to all cluster members.

Certificates

You can also install any third-party certificates on the primary FortiGate before forming the cluster. Once the cluster is formed third-party certificates are synchronized to the backup FortiGate.