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PCNSA Practice Question: A network administrator is configuring a new…
A network administrator is configuring a new PA-220 firewall. The management interface (MGT) must be accessible from the internal network for GUI access. Which IP address should be assigned to the MGT interface?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse the MGT interface with a standard data-plane interface and assume it can share a subnet with internal users or use DHCP, but Palo Alto Networks explicitly requires a static IP on a dedicated management subnet for reliability and security.
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
✓
A static IP from a dedicated management subnet (e.g., 10.0.1.0/24).
The PA-220 management interface (MGT) is a dedicated out-of-band management port that should be isolated from production traffic for security and stability. Assigning a static IP from a dedicated management subnet (e.g., 10.0.1.0/24) ensures GUI access is always available and not dependent on DHCP or production network changes, while keeping management traffic separate from data-plane traffic.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
A static IP from a dedicated management subnet (e.g., 10.0.1.0/24).
Why this is correct
Best practice is to have a separate management network.
- ✗
An IP from the external (untrusted) subnet.
Why it's wrong here
Exposing MGT to untrusted networks is a security risk.
- ✗
DHCP-assigned address from the internal network.
Why it's wrong here
Management interfaces should have static IPs for reliability.
- ✗
An IP from the same subnet as the end-user workstations.
Why it's wrong here
Mixing management and user traffic is not recommended.
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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.