61-16
Cisco ASA 5500 Series Configuration Guide using the CLI
Chapter61 Information About High Availability
Failover Times
Failover Times
Table61-3 shows the minimum, default, and maximum failover times.
Failover Messages
When a failover occurs, both ASAs send out system messages. This section includes the following
topics:
Failover System Messages, page61-16
Debug Messages, page61-16
SNMP, page61-17

Failover System Messages

The ASA issues a number of system messages related to failover at priority level 2, which indicates a
critical condition. To view these messages, see the syslog message guide guide. To enable logging, see
Chapter 77, “Configuring Logging.”
Note During switchover, failover logically shuts down and then bring up interfaces, generating syslog
messages 411001 and 411002. This is normal activity.

Debug Messages

To see debug messages, enter the debug fover command. See the command reference for more
information.
Note Because debugging output is assigned high priority in the CPU process, it can drastically affect system
performance. For this reason, use the debug fover commands only to troubleshoot specific problems or
during troubleshooting sessions with Cisco TAC.
Table61-3 Cisco ASA 5500 Series ASA Failover Times
Failover Condition Minimum Default Maximum
Active unit loses power or stops normal operation. 800 milliseconds 15 seconds 45 seconds
Active unit main board interface link down. 500 milliseconds 5 seconds 15 seconds
Active unit 4GE module interface link down. 2 seconds 5 seconds 15 seconds
Active unit IPS or CSC module fails. 2 seconds 2 seconds 2 seconds
Active unit interface up, but connection problem
causes interface testing.
5 seconds 25 seconds 75 seconds