NSE7 Advanced Networking and SD-WAN Practice Question
An administrator is configuring an SD-WAN rule to load balance traffic across two WAN links based on the source IP address of the traffic. Which load balancing algorithm should be used to achieve this?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse session-based with source IP-based load balancing, as both involve sessions but use different criteria for distribution.
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
✓
Source IP-based
The source IP-based algorithm is designed to distribute traffic across SD-WAN members based on the source IP address. This ensures that all sessions from a particular source IP are consistently routed through the same member, which can be important for applications that require session persistence. It is one of the available load balancing algorithms in FortiOS SD-WAN.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Volume-based
Why it's wrong here
Volume-based load balancing distributes traffic based on the volume of data transferred, not the source IP. It aims to balance the total bytes sent over each member. This does not ensure that traffic from a specific source IP consistently uses the same member, so it does not meet the requirement.
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Session-based
Why it's wrong here
Session-based load balancing distributes traffic based on the number of sessions, not the source IP. It may assign different sessions from the same source IP to different members, which does not meet the requirement of load balancing based on source IP. It is used for even distribution of session load.
- ✓
Source IP-based
Why this is correct
The source IP-based algorithm distributes traffic across members based on the source IP address, ensuring that sessions from the same source IP consistently use the same member. This meets the requirement to load balance based on source IP. It is a common method for session persistence.
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Spoiled-weighted round robin
Why it's wrong here
Spoiled-weighted round robin is not a valid SD-WAN load balancing algorithm on FortiGate. The correct term is 'weighted round robin', which distributes traffic based on weights but does not consider source IP. This option is a distractor with an incorrect name.
About these practice questions
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Fortinet exam blueprint
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.