What is the purpose of enabling the Virtual MAC option during HA configuration?

Enabling the Virtual MAC option during High Availability (HA) configuration serves the critical purpose of ensuring that in the event of a failover, the secondary unit can take over seamlessly without requiring the network devices, such as switches, to relearn the MAC addresses associated with the primary unit. When a failover occurs, if the secondary unit uses the same MAC address as the primary (via the Virtual MAC configuration), this consistency allows traffic to continue flowing without interruption.

This feature is particularly important in maintaining network stability and performance, as it prevents the downtime and potential issues that can arise when devices need to relearn MAC addresses. If the secondary unit had a different MAC address, all connected devices would need to learn this new address, which could lead to increased latency and packet loss during the transition. Therefore, the Virtual MAC option simplifies the process and enhances the overall resilience of the network during failover events.