PCNSE Troubleshoot Practice Question
A network administrator wants to verify if a specific internal IP address (10.1.1.100) is being translated to a public IP when accessing the internet. Which CLI command should be used?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse viewing NAT policy configuration (which shows rules) with viewing active NAT translations (which requires session table inspection), leading them to pick 'show running nat-policy' instead of the session-based command.
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
✓
show session all filter source 10.1.1.100
The 'show session all filter source 10.1.1.100' command displays active sessions in the firewall's session table, including the source IP, destination IP, and the translated (NAT) IP addresses. This allows the administrator to verify whether the internal IP 10.1.1.100 is being NATed to a public IP when accessing the internet, as the session table shows both the pre-NAT and post-NAT source addresses.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
show running nat-policy
Why it's wrong here
This command displays the configured NAT rulebase, showing which rules exist rather than which translation is actively applied to 10.1.1.100. It is tempting because it is the natural place to inspect NAT configuration, and would answer the question if the administrator only needed to confirm rule definitions.
- ✓
show session all filter source 10.1.1.100
Why this is correct
`show session all filter source 10.1.1.100` queries the session table for entries matching that source address, revealing the NAT translation applied to each flow. Because Palo Alto Networks firewalls perform NAT through session-based policy evaluation, the session table holds the source and destination translation details, directly confirming whether 10.1.1.100 is translated to a public IP.
- ✗
show nat rule
Why it's wrong here
This command lists NAT rules in the rulebase, not the session-level translation actually applied to 10.1.1.100. It is tempting because NAT rules determine translation, but it would be correct only when auditing rule configuration rather than confirming which public IP a specific host currently uses.
- ✗
show address 10.1.1.100
Why it's wrong here
This command queries address objects, returning the object definition for 10.1.1.100 rather than any NAT translation currently applied to it. It is tempting because address objects underpin NAT rules, but it would be the right choice only when verifying object membership or naming, not live translation.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This PCNSE 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 PCNSE exam.