156-315.81.20 Performance Tuning (SecureXL/CoreXL) Practice Question
A security administrator is troubleshooting a performance issue on an R81 Security Gateway (156-315.81.20) with SecureXL enabled. The administrator runs 'fwaccel stats' and observes a high number of packets in the 'P' (pass) path but also a significant number in the 'F' (forward) path. Which action should the administrator take to improve performance?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that any packet not in the 'P' path is a problem that requires disabling SecureXL or using the pass list, rather than investigating the cause of slow-path processing.
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
✓
Review and optimize the firewall rulebase and objects to reduce the number of rules that cause packets to be handled by the slow path.
The 'F' path indicates packets that are processed by the firewall kernel instead of being accelerated by SecureXL. To improve performance, the administrator should identify why these packets are not accelerated, which is often due to rulebase complexity, NAT, or features not supported by SecureXL. Optimizing the rulebase and simplifying configurations can increase the proportion of accelerated traffic, reducing CPU load and improving throughput. Disabling SecureXL or using the pass list are not appropriate for legitimate traffic.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Add the affected traffic to the SecureXL 'pass' list using 'fwaccel add -d <destination> -p'.
Why it's wrong here
Adding traffic to the pass list bypasses all inspection, which is a security risk and not a performance tuning step for legitimate traffic. The pass list is typically used for trusted, high-volume traffic that does not require inspection, but it is not a general solution for reducing forward path packets.
- ✗
Disable SecureXL to force all traffic through the firewall kernel.
Why it's wrong here
Disabling SecureXL removes all acceleration, causing every packet to be processed by the firewall kernel, which increases CPU load and reduces throughput. This would worsen performance, not improve it. The goal is to increase accelerated traffic, not eliminate it.
- ✓
Review and optimize the firewall rulebase and objects to reduce the number of rules that cause packets to be handled by the slow path.
Why this is correct
Packets in the 'F' path indicate they are being processed by the firewall kernel rather than being accelerated. This often happens due to complex rules, NAT, or features like IPS that are not offloaded. Optimizing the rulebase, simplifying NAT, and ensuring that acceleration is supported for the traffic can move more packets to the fast path, improving performance.
- ✗
Increase the number of CoreXL firewall instances to distribute the load.
Why it's wrong here
While CoreXL can improve performance by using more cores, the issue here is not CPU distribution but the fact that packets are not being accelerated. Adding more instances may not help if the bottleneck is the slow path processing due to rulebase complexity or unsupported features. The root cause must be addressed first.
Visual reference
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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
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