The correct answer is that logtraffic=all means all traffic matching the policy will be logged, regardless of action. This is because the FortiGate firewall records every packet belonging to a session that hits this policy, whether the action is set to accept or deny, ensuring a complete audit trail for every connection attempt. On the Fortinet NSE 4 Network Security Professional exam, this setting tests your understanding of logging granularity—a common trap is confusing logtraffic=all with logtraffic=utm, which only logs traffic processed by UTM profiles, or with logtraffic=disable, which logs nothing. The exam often presents a policy output and asks you to interpret the logging behavior, so remember that "all" means no exceptions: every single matching session is recorded. A useful memory tip is to think of "all" as "always log everything"—if you see logtraffic=all, the firewall is writing a log entry for every packet in every matching session, no matter what action the policy takes.
NSE4 Firewall Policies and NAT Practice Question
This NSE4 practice question tests your understanding of firewall policies and nat. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
You execute 'get firewall policy 5' and see the following output:
policyid=5
name="test"
status=enable
schedule="always"
logtraffic=all
What does 'logtraffic=all' mean?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "always"
Why it matters: Absolute qualifier. An answer using 'always' is only correct if there are genuinely no exceptions — absolute statements are often wrong in networking.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
All traffic matching the policy will be logged, regardless of action
Option D is correct because 'logtraffic=all' in FortiGate firewall policy configuration means that every packet belonging to a session matching this policy will be logged, regardless of whether the action is accept or deny. This is distinct from other log settings like 'logtraffic=utm' or 'logtraffic=disable', and it ensures full audit trail for all traffic handled by the policy.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Only the first packet of each session will be logged
Why it's wrong here
That would be 'logtraffic=utm' or similar.
✗
Only traffic that triggers a security profile will be logged
Why it's wrong here
That is not what 'all' indicates.
✗
Only traffic that is denied by the policy will be logged
Why it's wrong here
'all' includes both allowed and denied.
✓
All traffic matching the policy will be logged, regardless of action
Why this is correct
'logtraffic=all' logs both permitted and denied sessions.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "always" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse 'logtraffic=all' with 'logtraffic=session-start' or think it only logs denied traffic, but FortiGate's granular log options require precise understanding of each keyword's behavior.
Trap categories for this question
Similar concept trap
That would be 'logtraffic=utm' or similar.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
When 'logtraffic=all' is set, FortiGate generates a log entry for every packet in the session, which can generate a very large volume of logs. This setting is typically used for troubleshooting or compliance scenarios where complete packet-level audit is required, but it should be used sparingly to avoid overwhelming the log storage or impacting performance. The log includes details such as source/destination IP, port, protocol, and timestamp for each packet.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A security administrator must allow nursing staff to reach a patient records server while blocking access from the guest Wi-Fi VLAN. After applying an extended ACL, traffic is still blocked from nursing workstations. The ACL was applied outbound instead of inbound on the wrong interface. Questions like this test ACL direction and placement rules.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Firewall Policies and NAT — This question tests Firewall Policies and NAT — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: All traffic matching the policy will be logged, regardless of action — Option D is correct because 'logtraffic=all' in FortiGate firewall policy configuration means that every packet belonging to a session matching this policy will be logged, regardless of whether the action is accept or deny. This is distinct from other log settings like 'logtraffic=utm' or 'logtraffic=disable', and it ensures full audit trail for all traffic handled by the policy.
What should I do if I get this NSE4 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "always". Absolute qualifier. An answer using 'always' is only correct if there are genuinely no exceptions — absolute statements are often wrong in networking.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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