156-315.81.20 ClusterXL and VRRP High Availability Practice Question
An administrator has a ClusterXL High Availability cluster with two members. The primary member fails, and the secondary member becomes active. After the primary member is repaired and rebooted, it does not become active again, even though it has a higher priority. The administrator checks and finds that the cluster is in High Availability mode and priorities are correctly set. What is the most likely reason for this behavior?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that a higher priority automatically causes preemption, when in fact preemption must be explicitly enabled in ClusterXL HA mode.
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
✓
The cluster is configured with 'ClusterXL HA' mode but the 'Preempt' option is disabled in the cluster properties.
In ClusterXL High Availability mode, preemption is not enabled by default. Even if a member has a higher priority, it will not automatically become active after recovery unless the 'Preempt' option is enabled in the cluster properties. This setting ensures that the higher-priority member takes over when it becomes available. The other options are either unlikely or contradicted by the scenario details.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
The cluster is configured with 'ClusterXL HA' mode but the 'Preempt' option is disabled in the cluster properties.
Why this is correct
In ClusterXL High Availability mode, preemption is not automatic by default. The administrator must enable the 'Preempt' option in the cluster properties for a higher-priority member to take over the active role after recovery. Without this setting, the standby member remains active even if the original active member recovers. This is the most likely reason.
- ✗
The secondary member has a higher member ID, causing it to retain the active role.
Why it's wrong here
Member ID is used as a tiebreaker when priorities are equal. Since the primary has a higher priority, member ID should not override that. The secondary member retaining active role is not due to member ID when priorities differ. This is a distractor based on a misunderstanding of the election process.
- ✗
The primary member's synchronization interface is down, preventing it from learning the current state and preempting.
Why it's wrong here
If the synchronization interface is down, the primary member cannot synchronize, but it may still become active if it has higher priority. However, it might be prevented from becoming active if it cannot synchronize and the cluster is configured to avoid split-brain. But the more common reason for not preempting is a configuration setting. This is a plausible but less likely cause.
- ✗
The primary member's priority is set to a lower value than the secondary member's priority.
Why it's wrong here
The scenario states that the primary member has a higher priority. If priorities were reversed, the primary would not preempt, but the administrator confirmed priorities are correctly set. Therefore, this is not the cause. The issue lies elsewhere, such as a missing preempt configuration.
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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
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.