NSE7 Troubleshooting and Diagnostics Practice Question
A FortiGate is experiencing high CPU usage due to a large number of sessions. Which TWO actions can the admin take to mitigate the issue? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse session table size (a capacity metric) with session management efficiency, or assume that disabling security profiles is a valid troubleshooting step when it is actually a last-resort workaround that compromises security.
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
✓
Set a shorter session TTL for idle sessions to free up resources
Setting a shorter session TTL for idle sessions (Option A) reduces the time inactive sessions remain in the session table, freeing up memory and CPU resources used for session maintenance. This directly addresses high CPU caused by a large number of sessions by accelerating the cleanup of stale entries.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Set a shorter session TTL for idle sessions to free up resources
Why this is correct
Shorter TTL removes idle sessions quicker, reducing table size and CPU overhead.
- ✗
Increase the session table size
Why it's wrong here
Increasing table size might reduce session churn but does not directly lower CPU.
- ✗
Upgrade the firmware to the latest version
Why it's wrong here
Firmware upgrade alone may not resolve high CPU due to session count.
- ✓
Implement session rate limiting using 'config system session-ttl'
Why this is correct
Limiting session rate reduces the number of new sessions per second, lowering CPU.
- ✗
Disable all security profiles
Why it's wrong here
Disabling profiles may lower CPU but compromises security; not a recommended first step.
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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.