156-315.81.20 ClusterXL and VRRP High Availability Practice Question
Exhibit
Member 1 (192.168.1.1): Active Member 2 (192.168.1.2): Standby [Expert@GW1:0]# cphaprob -d if Interface: eth1 (Sync) State: Down Interface: eth0 (External) State: Up
Refer to the exhibit. What is the most immediate risk to this cluster configuration?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently assume that a cluster can successfully maintain active sessions during failover even if the sync interface is down, ignoring state replication requirements.
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 not survive a failover event.
The synchronization interface (eth1) is in a 'Down' state while the cluster is in an active/standby configuration. This means the active member cannot replicate state information to the standby member. If the active member fails, all current connections will be dropped because the standby member has no knowledge of existing sessions. This risk makes the cluster functionally equivalent to a simple failover pair without state persistence.
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 firewall will stop passing traffic on the External interface.
Why it's wrong here
The external interface is up, so traffic forwarding continues. The problem is specific to the synchronization process, not the data plane forwarding. While the lack of state replication is a major issue for session continuity, the gateway remains capable of passing new traffic through its interfaces.
- ✗
The standby member will attempt to go Active, resulting in IP conflicts.
Why it's wrong here
The cluster heartbeat (often carried over the sync or dedicated interfaces) is still functioning, as the cluster is maintaining the Active/Standby roles properly. The sync issue does not necessarily trigger an election. Therefore, the standby member will not attempt to take over the active role solely due to sync.
- ✓
Existing connections will not survive a failover event.
Why this is correct
Without a functioning sync interface, the active member cannot share session data. If a failover occurs, the secondary unit will become active, but it will not have the session state of the previous active member, forcing all existing connections to be reset or dropped by the security policies.
- ✗
The cluster will automatically disable the External interface to prevent data loss.
Why it's wrong here
Disabling the external interface would cause an immediate service outage, which is contrary to the purpose of high availability. The cluster will continue to operate with the sync interface down, accepting the risk of session drops, because maintaining connectivity is prioritized over the loss of state synchronization.
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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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