156-315.81.20 Performance Tuning (SecureXL/CoreXL) Practice Question
A network engineer is reviewing the performance of a Check Point Security Gateway. The engineer runs the command 'fwaccel stats' and sees the following output: Accelerated: 100000, F2F: 5000, Total: 105000. The engineer wants to understand what the 'F2F' counter represents. Which of the following best describes the meaning of 'F2F' in this context?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that F2F means 'Failed to Forward' or 'Dropped', when it actually stands for 'Forward to Firewall', indicating packets passed to the firewall kernel.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Packets that were forwarded to the Firewall path for processing because they could not be accelerated.
The F2F counter in 'fwaccel stats' indicates packets that were forwarded to the Firewall path because SecureXL could not accelerate them. This happens when traffic requires features not supported by SecureXL, such as VPN or deep inspection. A high F2F count relative to accelerated packets suggests that a significant portion of traffic is being processed by the firewall kernel, potentially impacting performance.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Packets that were accelerated by SecureXL and then forwarded to the destination.
Why it's wrong here
Accelerated packets are counted in the 'Accelerated' counter, not F2F. F2F is the opposite: packets that are not accelerated and are sent to the Firewall path. The 'Accelerated' counter shows packets that SecureXL processed successfully. Confusing these two counters can lead to misinterpretation of performance data.
- ✗
Packets that were forwarded to a different interface due to routing decisions.
Why it's wrong here
F2F is not related to routing decisions. It specifically refers to the internal forwarding of packets from the SecureXL path to the Firewall kernel path. Routing is handled separately, and packets can be accelerated regardless of routing as long as they meet acceleration criteria. The F2F counter is purely about the processing path within the gateway.
- ✗
Packets that were dropped by the firewall due to security policy.
Why it's wrong here
F2F does not represent dropped packets. Dropped packets are counted separately, often in logs or other statistics. F2F specifically refers to packets that are forwarded to the Firewall path for further processing, not those that are denied. The firewall may later drop some of these packets, but the F2F counter itself only tracks the forwarding action.
- ✓
Packets that were forwarded to the Firewall path for processing because they could not be accelerated.
Why this is correct
F2F stands for 'Forward to Firewall'. It indicates the number of packets that SecureXL could not accelerate and therefore passed to the Firewall kernel for full processing. These packets may require features like VPN, NAT, or deep inspection. The F2F counter is a key metric for understanding how much traffic is bypassing SecureXL acceleration and being handled by the CoreXL firewall instances.
About these practice questions
One of 210 original 156-315.81.20 practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Check Point exam blueprint
This 156-315.81.20 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Check Point certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 156-315.81.20 exam.