NSE7 Troubleshooting and Diagnostics Practice Question
An administrator is troubleshooting a scenario where traffic from VLAN 100 to a server at 10.1.2.100 is being blocked. The FortiGate has an active security policy allowing the traffic and the routing table shows a correct route. Which TWO diagnostic commands should the administrator run to identify the cause of the blockage?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers choose 'diagnose sys session list' thinking it shows blocked traffic, but it only lists established sessions, not dropped packets or failed session creation attempts.
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
✓
diagnose sniffer packet any 'host 10.1.2.100' 4
'diagnose sniffer packet any host 10.1.2.100 4' captures packets to/from the server at the interface level, allowing the administrator to see if traffic from VLAN 100 is actually arriving at the FortiGate and whether it is being dropped or forwarded. This command helps identify if the issue is at Layer 2 (e.g., VLAN misconfiguration) or Layer 3 (e.g., routing or firewall drops).
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
diagnose sniffer packet any 'host 10.1.2.100' 4
Why this is correct
Captures packets to verify traffic reaches the FortiGate.
- ✗
get system performance status
Why it's wrong here
Shows overall system performance, not specific traffic blocking.
- ✗
diagnose ip arp list
Why it's wrong here
Shows ARP table, not relevant to policy blocking.
- ✗
diagnose sys session list
Why it's wrong here
Shows active sessions, but not helpful for blocked traffic that never creates a session.
- ✓
diagnose debug flow
Why this is correct
Provides detailed flow trace showing policy matching and any blocks.
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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.