This NSE7 practice question tests your understanding of advanced networking and sd-wan. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
An administrator configures an SD-WAN rule to steer traffic from a specific subnet to an SD-WAN member with the lowest cost. Which load balancing algorithm should be selected in the SD-WAN rule to achieve this behavior?
Lowest-cost
Lowest-cost uses the member with the best performance SLA metric.
Volume
Why wrong: Volume balances based on traffic volume, not cost.
Sessions
Why wrong: Sessions balances based on number of sessions, not cost.
Source-dest-IP
Why wrong: Source-dest-IP hashes based on source and destination IPs, ignoring cost.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Lowest-cost
Lowest-cost algorithm selects the member with the lowest cost (from performance SLA) for each session. Other algorithms do not consider cost.
Key principle: Count usable hosts — not total addresses — and remember that the network and broadcast addresses are not available to hosts in standard IPv4 subnets.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Lowest-cost
Volume
Why it's wrong here
Volume balances based on traffic volume, not cost.
Sessions
Why it's wrong here
Sessions balances based on number of sessions, not cost.
Source-dest-IP
Why it's wrong here
Source-dest-IP hashes based on source and destination IPs, ignoring cost.
Common exam traps
Subnetting questions often tempt you into counting all addresses. In normal IPv4 subnets, the network and broadcast addresses are not usable host addresses.
Detailed technical explanation
Subnetting questions test whether you can identify the network, broadcast address, usable range, mask and correct subnet. Slow down enough to calculate the block size correctly.
Key takeaway
Count usable hosts — not total addresses — and remember that the network and broadcast addresses are not available to hosts in standard IPv4 subnets.
Real-world example
A network engineer segments a warehouse floor into three subnets: 20 scanners, 5 printers, and 2 management hosts. Picking the wrong mask wastes addresses or leaves too few usable hosts. Exam questions test whether you can apply CIDR notation, calculate block size, and identify the correct usable-host range for a given prefix.
What to study next
Review block sizes, usable host formulas (2^n − 2), and how to find network and broadcast addresses for /24 through /30. Then practise related NSE7 subnetting questions on CIDR, address ranges, and subnet selection.
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FAQ
Advanced Networking and SD-WAN — This question tests Advanced Networking and SD-WAN — CIDR notation defines the prefix length..
The correct answer is: Lowest-cost — Lowest-cost algorithm selects the member with the lowest cost (from performance SLA) for each session. Other algorithms do not consider cost.
Review block sizes, usable host formulas (2^n − 2), and how to find network and broadcast addresses for /24 through /30. Then practise related NSE7 subnetting questions on CIDR, address ranges, and subnet selection.
CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
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Last reviewed: Jun 21, 2026
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.
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