20+ practice questions focused on Troubleshooting and Diagnostics — one of the most tested topics on the Fortinet NSE 7 Advanced Security NSE7 exam. Each question includes a detailed explanation so you learn why the right answer is correct.
Start Troubleshooting and Diagnostics PracticeA FortiGate administrator notices that traffic from a specific subnet is being dropped unexpectedly. The security policy allows the traffic, and there are no firewall policies blocking it. What is the most efficient first step to identify the cause of the drops?
Explanation: The 'diag sniffer packet any "host 10.0.1.0/24" 4' command captures packets at the kernel level before firewall processing, allowing you to see if traffic is reaching the FortiGate and where it is being dropped (e.g., due to reverse-path forwarding, session helper, or DoS policies). This is the most efficient first step because it provides immediate, low-level visibility into packet drops without requiring configuration changes or waiting for logs.
An organization uses FortiGate with OSPF and BGP. Recently, routes from BGP are not being preferred over OSPF routes, causing suboptimal routing. The administrator wants to ensure BGP routes are preferred. Which two actions can achieve this? (Choose two.)
Explanation: Option A is correct because decreasing the administrative distance (AD) of BGP routes to 5 makes them more trustworthy than OSPF routes (default AD 110). Since a lower AD is preferred, BGP routes will be installed in the routing table over OSPF routes, ensuring BGP is preferred for forwarding decisions.
A FortiGate is experiencing high CPU usage. The administrator runs 'diagnose sys top' and sees that the process 'ipsengine' is using the most CPU. What is the most likely cause?
Explanation: The ipsengine process handles Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) inspection. High CPU usage by ipsengine typically indicates that the FortiGate is processing a large volume of traffic through IPS signatures, which is computationally intensive. This is often triggered by a DoS attack or a sudden surge in traffic that requires deep packet inspection, overwhelming the CPU.
An administrator is troubleshooting a VPN tunnel that is not coming up. The remote peer is a third-party device. Which THREE actions should be taken to diagnose the issue?
Explanation: Option A is correct because IPsec IKE (Internet Key Exchange) uses the pre-shared key (PSK) during authentication phase 1 (Main Mode or Aggressive Mode). If the PSK does not match on both peers, the IKE SA will fail to establish, and the VPN tunnel will not come up. This is a fundamental prerequisite for any IPsec VPN, and mismatched PSKs are a common misconfiguration.
A FortiGate administrator sees the following kernel log: 'kernel: [pid 1234] received packet with unknown or unsupported protocol 0x0800 on interface port1, drop'. What does this log indicate?
Explanation: The kernel log indicates that the interface port1 received an Ethernet frame with EtherType 0x0800 (IPv4) but the FortiGate dropped it because the interface is either not configured with an IP address or is bound to the wrong VDOM. Without an IP address or proper VDOM assignment, the kernel cannot process the packet at Layer 3, so it logs the packet as having an 'unknown or unsupported protocol' even though 0x0800 is standard IPv4.
+15 more Troubleshooting and Diagnostics questions available
Practice all Troubleshooting and Diagnostics questions1. Baseline your knowledge
Start with 10 questions to gauge your current understanding of Troubleshooting and Diagnostics. This tells you whether you need a concept refresher or just practice.
2. Review every explanation
For each question — right or wrong — read the full explanation. Understanding why an answer is correct is more valuable than knowing the answer itself.
3. Focus on exam traps
Troubleshooting and Diagnostics questions on the NSE7 frequently use trap wording. Look for subtle differences in answers that test your precision, not just general knowledge.
4. Reach 80% consistently
Do repeated sessions until you score 80%+ three times in a row. Then move to mixed-mode practice to test cross-topic recall under realistic conditions.
The exact number varies per candidate. Troubleshooting and Diagnostics is tested as part of the Fortinet NSE 7 Advanced Security NSE7 blueprint. Practicing with targeted Troubleshooting and Diagnostics questions ensures you can handle any format or difficulty that appears.
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Difficulty is subjective, but Troubleshooting and Diagnostics is a high-priority exam concept tested in multiple ways — direct recall, scenario analysis, and command-output interpretation. Consistent practice is the best way to build confidence.
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