156-315.81.20 Advanced VPN Design Practice Question
Which TWO of the following are required to implement Check Point VPN with third-party interoperability using generic IKE settings?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often assume that Check Point's 'Star' or 'Meshed' community settings work for third-party devices. They fail to realize that 'Other' must be selected to unlock the manual IKE configuration fields.
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
✓
Configure the Gateway type as 'Other' in the VPN Community.
When integrating Check Point with third-party devices, interoperability depends on strictly defining the IKE Phase 1 and Phase 2 proposals. These settings must be manually matched between the gateways. Using the 'Other' gateway type in the VPN Community is essential, as it allows for custom IKE settings that are not constrained by Check Point's proprietary features, ensuring compatibility with standard IPSec implementations from other vendors.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Configure the Gateway type as 'Other' in the VPN Community.
Why this is correct
Selecting 'Other' as the gateway type is mandatory when connecting to non-Check Point devices. This selection disables proprietary Check Point extensions, allowing the administrator to define standard IKE proposal settings that are compatible with standard-based IPSec implementations provided by other network security vendors.
- ✗
Enable 'Check Point Proprietary' IKE extensions.
Why it's wrong here
Enabling proprietary extensions will likely cause the third-party device to reject the negotiation, as it will not understand the vendor-specific attributes being sent in the IKE packets. These features are designed exclusively for communication between two Check Point gateways and should always be disabled for third-party interoperability.
- ✓
Manually define encryption and hash algorithms in the IPsec settings.
Why this is correct
Because third-party devices do not support Check Point's automatic negotiation profiles, the administrator must manually specify exactly which algorithms (e.g., AES-256, SHA-256) are used for IKE Phase 1 and Phase 2. This ensures that both endpoints agree on the cryptographic suite before the tunnel is established.
- ✗
Use Check Point ClusterXL in High Availability mode.
Why it's wrong here
ClusterXL is a local high-availability mechanism for Check Point gateways. It has no bearing on the interoperability with a third-party VPN gateway. Whether the cluster is active or not, the tunnel negotiation depends solely on the VPN Community and IPSec settings defined for the remote peer.
- ✗
Configure the VPN tunnel to use the IKEv1 protocol only.
Why it's wrong here
IKEv2 is widely supported by modern third-party devices and is often preferred for better security and stability. Forcing IKEv1 is not a requirement for interoperability; the decision should be based on the capabilities of the peer gateway rather than a general rule for third-party connections.
Quick reference
VPN Protocol Comparison
| Protocol | Port | Encryption | Authentication | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IKEv2 / IPsec | UDP 500 / 4500 | AES-256 | Certificates / PSK | Site-to-site & remote access |
| SSL / TLS VPN | TCP 443 | TLS 1.3 | Certificates / MFA | Clientless remote access |
| L2TP / IPsec | UDP 1701 | AES (IPsec) | PSK / Certificates | Legacy remote access |
| WireGuard | UDP 51820 | ChaCha20 | Public keys | Modern high-performance VPN |
| PPTP | TCP 1723 | MPPE (weak) | MS-CHAPv2 | Legacy — avoid in production |
PPTP is considered insecure. IKEv2/IPsec and SSL VPN are the current recommended options.
About these practice questions
One of 210 original 156-315.81.20 practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. 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.