Virtual MAC Address on Zyxel Firewall H series devices plays a crucial role in ensuring high availability (HA). In the event of a failover, the passive firewall automatically takes on the same virtual MAC address as the active one, preventing network connection disruptions and minimising downtime. This is especially important for stable operation in critical networks. At the same time, synchronization of cloud licenses continues to be done using the physical MAC address of the primary device.
Note: when upgrading from firmware version v1.31 to v1.32, the firewall continues to use the physical MAC until the Virtual MAC feature is manually activated. This flexibility allows administrators to have precise control over network behavior during updates and failover.
If Virtual MAC address is selected, the MAC address of each interface will be replaced as follows:
Virtual MAC Displayed on the Interface
HA (High Availability) first configuration
When you configure HA for the first time, provided your device has been updated to version 1.32 or later, you will immediately see the virtual MAC address settings. If these settings are hidden, please skip to the next point in this article.
HA (High Availability) Change settings
Please note that switching the MAC address setting between virtual and physical will require reconfiguring high availability (HA), with the exception of certain parameters.
In this situation, you may not be able to see the virtual Mac address settings. To use this functionality, you need to disable HA on your device, then select “Virtual IP Address” and re-activate HA.
Warning/IMPORTANT: Before disabling Device HA, please follow these recommended steps:
1. Unplug network cables except HA interface (Port 12) from the passive device
2. Then proceed with HA disable/unpair operation
Proceeding without these steps may cause network interruption. Do you want to continue?
After completing the changes on the active device and reactivating HA mode, follow these steps on the passive device (ensure the heartbeat cable remains disconnected):
- Disconnect all cables from the passive device.
- Perform a factory reset on a passive device.
- Connect only the WAN cable and your PC cable to initiate setup.
- Log in to the web interface and activate HA mode (no further configuration needed).
- Disconnect all cables again.
- Connect the heartbeat cable between the active and passive devices.
- Monitor synchronisation status from the active device and wait for it to complete.