156-315.81.20 Performance Tuning (SecureXL/CoreXL) Practice Question
An administrator is troubleshooting a performance degradation on a Check Point Security Gateway. The administrator suspects that SecureXL is not accelerating traffic as expected. Which two actions should the administrator take to verify and potentially resolve the issue? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is thinking that CoreXL adjustments or template checks are the primary verification steps, when the fundamental checks are SecureXL status and connection acceleration.
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
✓
Run 'fwaccel conns' to identify non-accelerated connections.
To verify and resolve SecureXL acceleration issues, the administrator should first confirm that SecureXL is enabled using 'fwaccel stat'. Then, using 'fwaccel conns', the administrator can identify which connections are not accelerated and why. These two actions provide the necessary information to diagnose the problem and take corrective measures, such as enabling SecureXL or adjusting policy to allow acceleration.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Run 'fwaccel conns' to identify non-accelerated connections.
Why this is correct
The 'fwaccel conns' command lists active connections and indicates which are accelerated and which are not, along with the reason for non-acceleration. This helps the administrator pinpoint specific traffic that is bypassing SecureXL, allowing targeted troubleshooting. It is essential for understanding why certain connections are not accelerated, especially when SecureXL is enabled but some traffic still goes through the Firewall path.
- ✗
Disable CoreXL to force all traffic through SecureXL.
Why it's wrong here
Disabling CoreXL would not force traffic through SecureXL; in fact, it would reduce processing capacity and likely worsen performance. CoreXL and SecureXL are complementary, not mutually exclusive. Disabling CoreXL is not a valid troubleshooting step for SecureXL acceleration issues and could cause significant performance degradation. This action is counterproductive.
- ✓
Run 'fwaccel stat' to check if SecureXL is enabled.
Why this is correct
Running 'fwaccel stat' provides a quick check of whether SecureXL is enabled or disabled. If it is disabled, enabling it could restore acceleration and improve performance. This is a fundamental first step in troubleshooting SecureXL-related issues, as it confirms the basic operational state before diving deeper into configuration or traffic-specific problems.
- ✗
Increase the number of CoreXL instances to improve SecureXL acceleration.
Why it's wrong here
Increasing CoreXL instances does not directly improve SecureXL acceleration. CoreXL instances handle traffic that is not accelerated, but adding more instances without addressing the root cause of non-acceleration may not help and could introduce overhead. This action is not a verification or resolution step for SecureXL issues; it is a scaling action that should be considered only after other factors are optimized.
- ✗
Check the SecureXL templates status with 'fwaccel templates'.
Why it's wrong here
While checking template status is useful, it is not one of the two primary actions for verifying and resolving acceleration issues. The command 'fwaccel templates' shows whether templates are enabled, but the most direct verification steps are checking SecureXL status and inspecting connection acceleration. Template status is a secondary check that might be performed after confirming SecureXL is enabled and identifying non-accelerated connections.
Visual reference
About these practice questions
This 156-315.81.20 question is part of Courseiva's 210-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. 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.