> Source: [sk184568](https://support.checkpoint.com/results/sk/sk184568)

# sk184568 - Intermittent VS failover when both MHOs have the interface link state set to Down

| Property | Value |
|----------|-------|
| Solution ID | sk184568 |
| Date Created | 2026-03-23 |
| Last Modified | 2026-07-23 |
| Technical Level | General |
| Products | Scalable Platforms |
| Versions | R82.10, R82, R81.20 |
| OS | Gaia |
| Platform | Maestro Orchestrator |

## Symptoms

- * Virtual System (VS) failover occurs when both Maestro Hyperscale Orchestrators (MHOs) have the interface link state set to Down.

* Failover is intermittent and occurs during some switch reboot attempts (for example, 1 out of 4 attempts).

* Both chassis lose port state at nearly the same time, causing a timing sensitivity condition condition.

* During the event, Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) connections to all directly connected switches are lost, resulting in approximately 40 seconds of network outage.

* No high Central Processing Unit (CPU) usage is observed on the firewalls during the event.

## Cause

A timing sensitivity condition exists between the two Quantum Maestro sites (chassis) during a peer switch reboot.

If the Active site detects the port-down state even slightly before the Standby site, the system grading changes and triggers an unintended failover. Although both sites lose port state almost simultaneously, the failover decision is sensitive to very small timing differences.

The issue is intermittent because the exact timing of port state detection varies slightly between events.

## Solution

This problem was fixed. The fix is included in:

* [Jumbo Hotfix Accumulator for R82.10](https://sc1.checkpoint.com/documents/Jumbo_HFA/R82.10/Default.htm) starting from Take 36
* [Jumbo Hotfix Accumulator for R82](https://sc1.checkpoint.com/documents/Jumbo_HFA/R82/Default.htm) starting from Take 118
* [Jumbo Hotfix Accumulator for R81.20](https://sc1.checkpoint.com/documents/Jumbo_HFA/R81.20/Default.htm) starting from Take 158

If you choose not to upgrade, Check Point can supply a **Hotfix** . [Contact Check Point Support](https://www.checkpoint.com/support-services/contact-support/) to get a Hotfix for this issue.  
A Support Engineer will make sure the Hotfix is compatible with your environment before providing the Hotfix.  
For faster resolution and verification, please collect [CPinfo files](http://supportcontent.checkpoint.com/solutions?id=sk92739) from the Security Management Server and Security Gateways involved in the case.

**Hotfix installation instructions:**   
Refer to [sk168597 - How to install a Hotfix](https://support.checkpoint.com/results/sk/sk168597).

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