PCNSA Device Management and Services Practice Question
Which THREE of the following are valid steps when configuring a new virtual wire (vwire) on a Palo Alto Networks firewall?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse the need for an IP address on a virtual wire (which is Layer 2) with the requirement for IP addresses on Layer 3 interfaces, leading them to incorrectly select option B as a valid step.
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
✓
Add two or more interfaces as members of the virtual wire
A virtual wire requires at least two interfaces to be added as members, which allows the firewall to transparently bridge traffic between them without any IP configuration. The virtual wire acts as a Layer 2 bump-in-the-wire, so interfaces are placed into the vwire to forward frames based on MAC addresses, not IP routing.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Add two or more interfaces as members of the virtual wire
Why this is correct
Interfaces are added as members of the vwire.
- ✗
Assign an IP address to the virtual wire
Why it's wrong here
Virtual wires are layer 2 transparent; they do not have IP addresses.
- ✓
Commit the configuration
Why this is correct
All changes must be committed to take effect.
- ✗
Create a security policy allowing traffic on the virtual wire
Why it's wrong here
Security policies are applied to zones, not directly to vwires; vwire interfaces are assigned to zones where policies apply.
- ✓
Create a virtual wire object under Network > Virtual Wires
Why this is correct
A vwire object must be created first.
Quick reference
Access Control Model Comparison
| Model | Acronym | Who Controls Access? | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discretionary Access Control | DAC | Resource owner | Small teams, file shares |
| Mandatory Access Control | MAC | System / security labels | Classified govt / military |
| Role-Based Access Control | RBAC | Administrator (via roles) | Enterprise environments |
| Attribute-Based Access Control | ABAC | Policy engine (user + resource attributes) | Fine-grained, dynamic policies |
| Rule-Based Access Control | RuBAC | System rules / ACLs | Firewall rules, network ACLs |
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
This PCNSA question is part of Courseiva's 516-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam 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.