What could cause both devices in an active-passive high availability pair to become the primary device?

A configuration error can lead to both devices in an active-passive high availability setup becoming designated as the primary device. High availability systems rely on proper configuration to ensure that communication and failover processes operate correctly. If there is an error in the configuration, such as improperly defined roles or settings that do not clearly delineate which device should remain primary, both devices might interpret the situation incorrectly and assume the primary role.

This presents significant risks, as it can cause network disruptions or conflicts in real-time data processing and management tasks, jeopardizing the intended redundancy and failover capabilities of the system. Correcting the configuration ensures that one device remains primary, while the other remains on standby to take over if the primary fails.

In contrast, network communication failures, power failures, and caching issues would not systematically enable both devices to assume the primary role, as these factors typically affect device availability rather than their assigned roles. Correct configuration, therefore, is crucial to maintain the integrity of high availability arrangements.