NSE7 Troubleshooting and Diagnostics Practice Question
A FortiGate is configured with multiple BGP peers. One of the peers is not receiving the expected routes. The administrator runs 'get router info bgp neighbors <IP>' and sees that the 'State/PfxRcd' field is 'Active'. What does this indicate?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse 'Active' with 'Established' because both sound like the session is working, but 'Active' actually means the TCP connection has not been completed, while 'Established' is the only state where routes are exchanged.
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
✓
The BGP session is in the Active state, meaning the FortiGate is trying to establish a TCP connection to the peer
The 'Active' state in BGP indicates that the FortiGate has sent an OPEN message and is waiting for a TCP connection from the peer, or is actively retrying the TCP connection. This means the session has not yet reached the Established state, so no routes are being exchanged. Option C correctly identifies that the FortiGate is attempting to establish a TCP connection to the peer.
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 BGP peer has reached the maximum prefix limit
Why it's wrong here
Maximum prefix limit would typically cause the session to be reset or go to Idle.
- ✗
The BGP peer has been administratively shut down
Why it's wrong here
Administratively shutdown would show 'Idle' or 'Admin' state.
- ✓
The BGP session is in the Active state, meaning the FortiGate is trying to establish a TCP connection to the peer
Why this is correct
Active state indicates the router is actively trying to initiate a TCP connection to the peer, but the session is not yet up.
- ✗
The BGP session has been established and routes are being exchanged
Why it's wrong here
In Active state, the session is not established; it is attempting to connect.
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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.