NSE7 Enterprise Firewall and VDOMs Practice Question
An administrator configures inter-VDOM routing between VDOMs A and B using a VDOM link. The administrator can ping from VDOM A to an interface in VDOM B, but traffic from VDOM B to VDOM A times out. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to assume a successful ping in one direction implies full bidirectional connectivity, overlooking that each VDOM maintains an independent routing table and the return path must be explicitly configured.
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 route back to the source subnet is missing in VDOM A
Inter-VDOM routing requires a route in both directions. Since the administrator can ping from VDOM A to VDOM B, the forward path works, but the return traffic from VDOM B to VDOM A fails due to a missing route back to the source subnet in VDOM A. This is a classic asymmetric routing issue where the destination VDOM (A) does not know how to reach the source subnet of VDOM B.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
VDOM B has no traffic VDOM capability
Why it's wrong here
Both VDOMs must be traffic VDOMs to route traffic; if B were administrative only, the VDOM link wouldn't work.
- ✓
The route back to the source subnet is missing in VDOM A
Why this is correct
For traffic from B to A to succeed, VDOM A must have a route back to the source subnet. Without it, return traffic is dropped.
- ✗
The firewall policy in VDOM B is blocking traffic
Why it's wrong here
The ping from A to B works, indicating policies in B allow ICMP. The issue is in the return path.
- ✗
The VDOM link's MTU is set too high
Why it's wrong here
MTU mismatch would affect both directions equally, not just one.
Visual reference
Quick reference
Asymmetric Encryption Algorithm Comparison
| Algorithm | Key Exchange | Signatures | Equivalent Security Key | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RSA-3072 | Yes | Yes | 128-bit | Widely deployed; slow for bulk data |
| ECDSA P-256 | No | Yes | 128-bit | Fast signatures; standard TLS certs |
| ECDH / ECDHE | Yes | No | 128-bit | Perfect forward secrecy in TLS 1.3 |
| DH / DHE | Yes | No | 128-bit (3072-bit key) | Replaced by ECDHE in modern TLS |
| Ed25519 | No | Yes | ~128-bit | SSH keys, modern PKI |
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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.