NSE7 Troubleshooting and Diagnostics Practice Question
An administrator configures SD-WAN with multiple members. The SD-WAN rule uses the 'latency' strategy. The administrator notices that traffic is not switching to the best-performing member even when latency exceeds the threshold. What could be the issue?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates assume the 'latency' strategy alone will automatically monitor and switch based on real-time latency, but FortiGate requires an explicit SLA target to define the threshold and trigger the evaluation.
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 SLA target is not configured or not applied to the SD-WAN rule
The latency-based SD-WAN rule requires an SLA target to define acceptable performance thresholds. Without an SLA target configured and applied to the rule, the FortiGate has no baseline to compare against, so it will never trigger a member switch even if latency exceeds the threshold. The SLA target must be linked to the SD-WAN rule via the 'set sla' command in the rule configuration.
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 SLA target is not configured or not applied to the SD-WAN rule
Why this is correct
The latency strategy only steers traffic away from a member when an SLA target is defined and bound to the rule. Without that target, FortiGate has no threshold to compare measured latency against, so no member is ever marked out of SLA and traffic stays put.
- ✗
The load balancing algorithm is set to 'source-ip-based'
Why it's wrong here
SD-WAN rules override load balancing; the algorithm applies only when no SD-WAN rule matches.
- ✗
The threshold is set too low
Why it's wrong here
A low threshold makes the rule switch away from a member sooner, so it cannot explain traffic staying put despite excessive latency. It is tempting because thresholds govern when the strategy reacts, yet the actual cause is that the rule's members lack the required link health or SLA probes.
- ✗
The SD-WAN members are in different VDOMs
Why it's wrong here
SD-WAN members must be in the same VDOM; if they weren't, the configuration would fail.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
This NSE7 question is part of Courseiva's 718-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.