156-315.81.20 ClusterXL and VRRP High Availability Practice Question
Exhibit
cphaprob stat Cluster Mode: High Availability (New HA) Number of Cluster members: 2 Member 1: 192.168.1.1 (Active) Member 2: 192.168.1.2 (Standby) cphaprob syncstat Sync Status: Problem
Refer to the exhibit. An administrator notices that the cluster state is Active/Standby, but the sync status shows 'Problem'. What is the most likely consequence for the network traffic?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often assume that an Active/Standby cluster automatically shares state info without checking sync status, missing that a 'Problem' sync breaks session persistence during failovers.
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
✓
Existing connections will be dropped if the active member fails, as the standby unit lacks state information.
When the sync status indicates a problem, the cluster members cannot share connection state information. Although traffic still flows through the active member, any failover event will cause all existing connections to drop because the standby member lacks the current connection table. This state renders the HA solution ineffective for session persistence, making immediate investigation of the synchronization interface or connectivity between members mandatory for maintaining service continuity.
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 active member will stop passing traffic until the synchronization issue is resolved by the administrator.
Why it's wrong here
Traffic will continue to flow through the active member despite sync errors. The cluster's primary role as a traffic forwarder is unaffected by the lack of synchronization, though failover capability is compromised. The security gateway does not shut down traffic simply because synchronization between peers is currently failing.
- ✓
Existing connections will be dropped if the active member fails, as the standby unit lacks state information.
Why this is correct
Without a valid sync status, the standby unit is unaware of the active sessions. If a failover occurs, the standby unit has no connection information to maintain existing TCP sessions, resulting in a reset or drop of all active traffic flows upon the transition of the cluster status.
- ✗
The cluster will enter a 'Split Brain' condition, causing duplicate IP address conflicts on the network.
Why it's wrong here
A 'Problem' in sync status refers to the inability to share state data, not necessarily a failure in cluster heartbeat mechanisms. Unless the heartbeat interfaces themselves are down, the cluster will not enter a split-brain state, which usually requires both members to believe they are the active master.
- ✗
The standby member will automatically promote itself to active status to force a resynchronization attempt.
Why it's wrong here
Standby members do not initiate role changes due to synchronization errors alone. The cluster heartbeat protocol governs role transitions. Forcing a promotion based on sync status would cause unnecessary network instability and downtime, which is contrary to the design goals of ClusterXL high availability and load sharing.
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.