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PCNSA Practice Question: Refer to the exhibit

Exhibit

Refer to the exhibit.

admin@PA-220> show system info
System info:
Hostname: PA-220
Model: PA-220
Serial: 0123456789
Software version: 9.1.4
Operating mode: normal
Uptime: 10 days, 5 hours, 23 mins

admin@PA-220> show system software status
PAN-OS version: 9.1.4
Installed packages: none
Latest available: 9.1.7

Refer to the exhibit. The firewall is currently running PAN-OS 9.1.4. The administrator wants to upgrade to the latest available version shown. What should the administrator do first?

⚠ Common exam trap

Watch out — candidates often assume the 'Install' option can directly fetch the image from the support site, but in reality, the download must be performed as a separate step before installation can proceed.

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

✓

Download the PAN-OS 9.1.7 package from the support site

The firewall is running PAN-OS 9.1.4, and the latest available version shown is 9.1.7. Before any upgrade can be performed, the administrator must first download the PAN-OS 9.1.7 image from the Palo Alto Networks support site. This is a prerequisite step because the upgrade process requires the image file to be present on the firewall or accessible via a valid download path; the firewall cannot install a version it has not yet obtained.

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

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

  • ✗

    Reset the firewall to factory defaults to ensure a clean upgrade

    Why it's wrong here

    Factory resetting erases configuration, logs and licences without addressing the upgrade path; PAN-OS requires installing the base image and each intermediate maintenance release before the target version. A reset is used to recover a corrupted configuration or redeploy a device, not to prepare an upgrade.

  • ✗

    Reboot the firewall to apply pending updates

    Why it's wrong here

    Rebooting applies only already-installed packages; no upgrade package has been downloaded or staged, so a reboot changes nothing. It is tempting because reboots are required after certain PAN-OS installations, but that step follows installation, not precedes it.

  • ✓

    Download the PAN-OS 9.1.7 package from the support site

    Why this is correct

    PAN-OS upgrades must be installed sequentially, so the administrator cannot jump straight to a later release. Downloading the 9.1.7 package first makes the next maintenance release available on the firewall, satisfying the prerequisite before installing and rebooting.

  • ✗

    Directly install the PAN-OS 9.1.7 package

    Why it's wrong here

    The package must first be downloaded to the firewall.

About these practice questions

One of 385 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.