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PCNSA Practice Question: Refer to the exhibit

Exhibit

System info:
Model: PA-5250
Software version: 10.0.3
Uptime: 45 days, 12:34:56
System mode: virtual

Refer to the exhibit. A network administrator sees this output from a Palo Alto Networks firewall. What does the 'System mode: virtual' indicate about this firewall?

⚠ Common exam trap

A common mix-up: candidates confuse 'virtual' mode with cloud-based instances (AWS/Azure), but Palo Alto Networks distinguishes between 'virtual' (hypervisor-based VM-Series) and 'cloud' (native cloud marketplace images) in the system mode output.

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

✓

It is a VM series firewall running on a hypervisor.

The 'System mode: virtual' output indicates the firewall is a VM-Series instance running on a hypervisor such as VMware ESXi, KVM, or Hyper-V. This mode is distinct from physical appliances and cloud-native instances, as it leverages virtualized hardware resources while maintaining full PAN-OS functionality.

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

  • ✓

    It is a VM series firewall running on a hypervisor.

    Why this is correct

    System mode virtual denotes a virtual machine firewall.

  • ✗

    It is a physical firewall configured in high availability active-active mode.

    Why it's wrong here

    High availability mode is indicated elsewhere, not by system mode virtual.

  • ✗

    It is a Panorama management server.

    Why it's wrong here

    Management servers do not show 'system mode: virtual' in their system info.

  • ✗

    It is a cloud-based firewall instance (e.g., AWS, Azure).

    Why it's wrong here

    Cloud instances are also VM series; the mode is virtual, but the output doesn't specify cloud. Option A is more accurate.

About these practice questions

One of 516 original PCNSA practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →

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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.