XDR-Engineer Maintenance And Troubleshooting Practice Question
An administrator needs to troubleshoot an issue where syslog messages sent to a Cortex XDR Broker VM are dropped. Which log file on the Broker VM contains syslog ingestion errors and parser exceptions?
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
✓
/var/log/pan/syslog_collector.log (or corresponding broker log path)
Broker VM application and collector logs are located in standard directories such as /var/log/pan/ or specific broker log paths.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
/var/log/pan/syslog_collector.log (or corresponding broker log path)
Why this is correct
Collector service logs record parsing errors, malformed syslog packets, and ingestion failures.
- ✗
/var/log/messages
Why it's wrong here
/var/log/messages records kernel and general system events, not application-specific broker parsing errors.
- ✗
/var/log/secure
Why it's wrong here
/var/log/secure tracks authentication and SSH access attempts.
- ✗
/opt/panw/broker/cortex.log
Why it's wrong here
This path is fictional; Broker VM logs follow structured paths under /var/log/pan/.
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 August 2026 · checked against the official Palo Alto Networks exam blueprint
This XDR-Engineer practice question is part of Courseiva's free Palo Alto Networks 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 XDR-Engineer exam.