PCNSA Device Management and Services Practice Question
An administrator is configuring active/passive HA for two PA-3020 firewalls. Which TWO conditions would trigger a failover? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers assume high CPU or power supply failures are automatic HA triggers, but Palo Alto's HA failover is based on control-plane and network-path health, not hardware resource utilization or redundant component failures.
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
✓
Path monitoring detects unreachable target
Path monitoring actively probes a target IP address (e.g., a next-hop router) using ICMP or ARP. If the target becomes unreachable, the firewall considers the network path failed and triggers a failover to the passive unit, ensuring traffic continuity even if the control plane is healthy.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Path monitoring detects unreachable target
Why this is correct
Correct: Path monitoring failure triggers failover.
- ✓
Heartbeat link failure
Why this is correct
Correct: Loss of heartbeat communication triggers failover.
- ✗
Active firewall CPU usage exceeds 80%
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: CPU usage is not a default HA failover trigger.
- ✗
Active firewall's power supply failure
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Power supply failure may lead to link loss but is not a direct trigger.
- ✗
Passive firewall loses connectivity to management network
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Only the active firewall's health triggers failover.
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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.