PCNSA Device Management and Services Practice Question
A company uses Panorama to manage multiple firewalls. After pushing a template change, one firewall fails to commit with error 'invalid certificate path'. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse certificate expiration (Option D) with a missing trusted root, but the specific error 'invalid certificate path' points to a chain validation issue, not a time-based expiry.
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 template includes a certificate that has no trusted root on that firewall
When a template push includes a certificate (e.g., for SSL decryption or authentication) that references a Certificate Authority (CA) not trusted by the target firewall, the commit fails with 'invalid certificate path'. The firewall cannot validate the certificate chain because the root or intermediate CA certificate is missing from its trusted store, causing the commit to abort.
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 firewall's management IP changed
Why it's wrong here
IP change would not cause certificate path errors.
- ✗
Template commit requires reconnection
Why it's wrong here
Not a standard error message.
- ✓
The template includes a certificate that has no trusted root on that firewall
Why this is correct
The certificate chain is incomplete; need to install the root CA.
- ✗
The firewall's certificate has expired
Why it's wrong here
Expired certificate would say 'certificate expired', not invalid path.
- ✗
Panorama's certificate is mismatched
Why it's wrong here
Panorama certificate mismatch would affect communication, not commit.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every PCNSA question from scratch — 516 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or 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 PCNSA 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 PCNSA exam.