NSE7 Advanced Networking and SD-WAN Practice Question
A FortiGate has ECMP configured with two equal-cost routes to a destination. The administrator wants to ensure that all packets from a given source IP use the same next-hop. Which ECMP load balancing method should be configured?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse 'source IP' with 'source-destination IP' or 'round robin', mistakenly thinking that more hash inputs or per-packet distribution provides better load balancing, but the question specifically requires per-source-IP stickiness, which only source IP-based hashing guarantees.
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
✓
Source IP
Source IP-based ECMP load balancing uses the source IP address to select the next-hop for all packets in a flow. This ensures that packets from a given source IP always take the same path, maintaining session consistency without requiring stateful inspection.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Source IP
Why this is correct
Source IP hash ensures all traffic from the same source uses the same path, regardless of destination.
- ✗
Destination IP
Why it's wrong here
Destination IP hash would send all traffic to a given destination via the same path, not per source.
- ✗
Source-destination IP
Why it's wrong here
Source-destination IP hash uses both source and destination, which may cause different next-hops for different destinations.
- ✗
Round robin
Why it's wrong here
Round robin distributes sessions evenly across paths, but does not guarantee source IP stickiness.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This NSE7 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Fortinet 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 NSE7 exam.