156-315.81.20 Performance Tuning (SecureXL/CoreXL) Practice Question
An administrator is validating performance tuning on an R81.20 Security Gateway and wants to confirm that the CoreXL firewall instance count matches the planned design of one instance per firewall core. Which command provides the current number of CoreXL firewall instances and the cores assigned to them?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse SecureXL acceleration statistics with CoreXL instance configuration, since both are performance tools invoked through different command families.
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
✓
fw ctl multik stat
CoreXL instance configuration is exposed through the multik tooling. The stat view reports the number of firewall instances and their core assignments, which is precisely what is needed to confirm the design of one instance per firewall core. SecureXL statistics, OS CPU statistics, and interface listings do not provide instance configuration 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.
- ✓
fw ctl multik stat
Why this is correct
fw ctl multik stat reports the CoreXL firewall instance configuration, including the number of instances and which cores handle them. It is the standard way to verify that the instance count matches the intended design. This makes it the correct command for confirming one instance per firewall core on this gateway.
- ✗
cpstat os -f multi_cpu
Why it's wrong here
cpstat os -f multi_cpu reports operating system multi-CPU statistics such as per-core utilization. It reflects how busy the cores are, not how many CoreXL firewall instances exist or which cores they occupy. Because it lacks instance configuration detail, it cannot validate the planned CoreXL design on this gateway.
- ✗
fwaccel stats -s
Why it's wrong here
fwaccel stats -s reports SecureXL acceleration statistics, such as accelerated versus non-accelerated packets. It does not enumerate CoreXL firewall instances or their core assignments. While both tools relate to performance, this command answers a different question and cannot confirm the CoreXL instance count, so it is incorrect here.
- ✗
fw ctl iflist
Why it's wrong here
fw ctl iflist lists the interfaces known to the firewall kernel along with their indices. It provides interface inventory information and has no bearing on CoreXL instance counts or core assignments. This command addresses interface identification rather than performance instance configuration, so it does not satisfy the stated verification goal.
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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.