# Running Security Engines as Master Engines

There are some hardware requirements and configuration limitations when you use an Security Engine as a Master Engine.

Running the Security Engine as a Master Engine does not require a third-party virtualization platform. When you run Forcepoint Network Security Platform as a Master Engine, the Forcepoint Network Security Platform hardware provides the virtual environment and resources for the hosted Virtual Engines.

Note: You must always install the Forcepoint Network Security Platform software on a hardware device to run the Security Engine as a Master Engine.

You can run Master Engines on the following types of hardware platforms:

- Purpose-built Forcepoint Network Security Platform appliances with 64-bit architecture
- Third-party hardware with 64-bit architecture that meets the hardware requirements

For information about system requirements, see the Release Notes.

The following limitations apply when you use an Security Engine as a Master Engine:

- Each Master Engine must run on a separate 64-bit physical device.

  When Security Engine is running on a virtualization platform or a cloud virtualization platform, Master Engines and Virtual Engines are not supported.

- All Virtual Engines hosted by a Master Engine or Master Engine cluster must have the same role and the same Failure Mode (fail-open or fail-close).
- Master Engines can allocate VLANs or interfaces to Virtual Engines. If the Failure Mode of the Virtual IPS engines or Virtual Layer 2 Engines is Normal (fail-close) and you want to allocate VLANs to several engines, you must use the Master Engine cluster in standby mode.