The answer is that the BGP session is in the Active state, meaning the FortiGate is trying to establish a TCP connection to the peer. This is correct because BGP transitions through several states—Idle, Connect, Active, OpenSent, OpenConfirm, and Established—and the Active state specifically indicates that the router has failed to complete a TCP three-way handshake and is now actively retrying the connection. On the Fortinet NSE 7 Advanced Security NSE7 exam, this concept tests your understanding of BGP neighbor state progression and common troubleshooting scenarios; a frequent trap is confusing Active with Established or thinking it means routes are being exchanged. Remember that Active means the router is still waiting for the peer to respond to its connection attempt, often due to a misconfigured IP, wrong AS number, or a firewall blocking TCP port 179. A helpful memory tip is to think of Active as "actively trying to connect"—if you see it, check your reachability and peer configuration first.
NSE7 Troubleshooting and Diagnostics Practice Question
This NSE7 practice question tests your understanding of troubleshooting and diagnostics. 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.
A FortiGate is configured with multiple BGP peers. One of the peers is not receiving the expected routes. The administrator runs 'get router info bgp neighbors <IP>' and sees that the 'State/PfxRcd' field is 'Active'. What does this indicate?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The BGP session is in the Active state, meaning the FortiGate is trying to establish a TCP connection to the peer
Option B is correct. The Active state in BGP means the router is attempting to establish a TCP connection; the session is not yet up.
Key principle: OSPF neighbour adjacency depends on matching area, hello/dead timers, network type, and authentication — IP reachability alone is not enough.
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 BGP peer has reached the maximum prefix limit
Why it's wrong here
Maximum prefix limit would typically cause the session to be reset or go to Idle.
✗
The BGP peer has been administratively shut down
Why it's wrong here
Administratively shutdown would show 'Idle' or 'Admin' state.
✓
The BGP session is in the Active state, meaning the FortiGate is trying to establish a TCP connection to the peer
Why this is correct
Active state indicates the router is actively trying to initiate a TCP connection to the peer, but the session is not yet up.
The BGP session has been established and routes are being exchanged
Why it's wrong here
In Active state, the session is not established; it is attempting to connect.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: OSPF can fail even when IP connectivity looks correct
OSPF neighbour formation depends on matching areas, timers, network type, authentication and passive-interface behaviour. Do not choose an answer only because the devices can ping.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
Administratively shutdown would show 'Idle' or 'Admin' state.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
OSPF questions usually test the details that control adjacency and route selection. Read the neighbour state, area, router ID and interface configuration before deciding what is wrong.
KKey Concepts to Remember
OSPF neighbours must agree on key parameters.
Router ID selection can affect neighbour relationships and LSDB output.
OSPF cost influences the preferred path.
A route can appear in OSPF information but not become the installed route.
TExam Day Tips
→Check area mismatch first when OSPF adjacency fails.
→Review passive interfaces when a network is advertised but no neighbour forms.
→Use show ip ospf neighbor and show ip route clues carefully.
Key takeaway
OSPF neighbour adjacency depends on matching area, hello/dead timers, network type, and authentication — IP reachability alone is not enough.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A network engineer at a university connects two campus buildings via a fibre link. Both routers run OSPF, but no adjacency forms — even though both routers can ping each other. The engineer finds one router is in area 0 and the other in area 1. OSPF adjacency requires matching area numbers, hello/dead timers, and network type. IP reachability alone is not enough.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review OSPF neighbour requirements — matching area type, hello and dead timers, network type, stub flags, and authentication. Study show ip ospf neighbor states (INIT, 2-WAY, FULL). Then practise related NSE7 OSPF questions on adjacency and route selection.
Troubleshooting and Diagnostics — This question tests Troubleshooting and Diagnostics — OSPF neighbours must agree on key parameters..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The BGP session is in the Active state, meaning the FortiGate is trying to establish a TCP connection to the peer — Option B is correct. The Active state in BGP means the router is attempting to establish a TCP connection; the session is not yet up.
What should I do if I get this NSE7 question wrong?
Review OSPF neighbour requirements — matching area type, hello and dead timers, network type, stub flags, and authentication. Study show ip ospf neighbor states (INIT, 2-WAY, FULL). Then practise related NSE7 OSPF questions on adjacency and route selection.
What is the key concept behind this question?
OSPF neighbours must agree on key parameters.
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