McAfee M3050 Product Guide - Page 30

4 Attaching Cables to the Sensor How does the fail-open function work Task 1 Plug the cable appropriate for use with your XFP module into port 2A of the active Sensor. 2 Connect the other end of the cable to port 2A of the standby Sensor. Figure 4-2 Sensors connected for failover How does the fail-open function work The standard Gigabit Fail-Open Kit and the 10 Gigabit Fail-Open Kit minimize the potential risks of in-line Sensor failure on critical network links. You need to purchase these kits separately. Both copper and optical versions of the kit are available for the one gigabit ports. A 10 Gigabit Optical Kit is available for the 10 gigabit ports. The Monitoring ports of the Sensors fail-close; thus, if the Sensor is deployed in-line, a hardware failure results in network downtime. For the Monitoring ports to fail-open, you use the optional external bypass switch provided in a Fail-Open Kit. With the bypass switch in place, normal Sensor operation supplies power to the switch through a control cable. While the Sensor is operating, the switch is "on" and routes all traffic directly through the Sensor. When the Sensor fails, the switch automatically shifts to a bypass state; in-line traffic 30 McAfee® Network Security Platform M-3050/M-4050 Sensor Product Guide