NSE7 Advanced VPN and Zero Trust Practice Question
A network engineer is troubleshooting an ADVPN scenario where shortcut tunnels between spokes are not forming. The hub has IKEv2 configured and the spokes are behind NAT. Which THREE conditions must be met for shortcut tunnels to establish?
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
✓
Spokes are configured with 'set auto-discovery' enabled
ADVPN shortcut tunnels require: IKEv2 (not IKEv1), auto-negotiate enabled on the hub phase2, and the hub's phase2 must have 'add-route' set to enable route injection. NAT traversal is automatically handled by IKEv2.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
NAT traversal is enabled on all gateways
Why it's wrong here
NAT traversal is automatically enabled in IKEv2 when needed.
- ✓
Spokes are configured with 'set auto-discovery' enabled
Why this is correct
Spokes need auto-discovery to accept shortcut proposals.
- ✗
IKEv1 is used for the spoke-to-hub tunnels
Why it's wrong here
ADVPN requires IKEv2.
- ✓
The hub's phase2 configuration has 'auto-negotiate' enabled
Why this is correct
This allows the hub to propose shortcut tunnels.
- ✓
The hub's phase2 configuration includes 'add-route'
Why this is correct
This adds routes to spokes for shortcut.
Visual reference
Quick reference
VPN Protocol Comparison
| Protocol | Port | Encryption | Authentication | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IKEv2 / IPsec | UDP 500 / 4500 | AES-256 | Certificates / PSK | Site-to-site & remote access |
| SSL / TLS VPN | TCP 443 | TLS 1.3 | Certificates / MFA | Clientless remote access |
| L2TP / IPsec | UDP 1701 | AES (IPsec) | PSK / Certificates | Legacy remote access |
| WireGuard | UDP 51820 | ChaCha20 | Public keys | Modern high-performance VPN |
| PPTP | TCP 1723 | MPPE (weak) | MS-CHAPv2 | Legacy — avoid in production |
PPTP is considered insecure. IKEv2/IPsec and SSL VPN are the current recommended options.
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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.