NSE7 Enterprise Firewall and VDOMs Practice Question
A FortiGate VDOM is configured with a WAN interface (port1) and LAN interface (internal). The admin creates a policy allowing HTTP from internal to WAN with an antivirus profile applied. Users report that HTTP throughput is very slow. The admin checks the session table and sees many sessions with state 11 (TCP_CLOSE_WAIT). What is causing the performance issue?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates often attribute slow throughput to antivirus scanning (Option A) or proxy inspection (Option D), but the session state TCP_CLOSE_WAIT directly points to a TCP closure problem, not a content inspection issue.
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 HTTP server is not properly closing connections, and the FortiGate is waiting for FIN from client
State 11 (TCP_CLOSE_WAIT) indicates that the FortiGate has received a FIN from the server (WAN side) and is waiting for a FIN from the client (internal side) to complete the TCP connection closure. When the HTTP server does not properly close connections, the FortiGate holds these sessions open, consuming session table resources and causing performance degradation. The antivirus profile is not the direct cause; the issue is the accumulation of sessions stuck in CLOSE_WAIT due to incomplete TCP teardown.
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 antivirus profile is performing file scanning, causing delays
Why it's wrong here
Antivirus scanning can introduce latency, but it doesn't cause CLOSE_WAIT.
- ✗
The policy is missing a timeout setting for TCP half-close
Why it's wrong here
Not a typical cause.
- ✓
The HTTP server is not properly closing connections, and the FortiGate is waiting for FIN from client
Why this is correct
CLOSE_WAIT means the server has closed the connection (FIN received) but the client hasn't. The FortiGate waits for the client's FIN and holds the session.
- ✗
The FortiGate is using proxy-based inspection, which delays session closure
Why it's wrong here
Proxy mode doesn't inherently cause CLOSE_WAIT.
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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.