PCNSE Manage, Monitor and Operate Practice Question
A network engineer is troubleshooting high latency on the firewall. Which THREE commands from the CLI should be used to identify potential bottlenecks? (Choose three.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers choose 'show session info' thinking it reveals session table overload, but it only shows session details, not utilization percentages or drop counts, which are found in 'show counter global' and 'show running resource-monitor'.
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 running resource-monitor
'show running resource-monitor' displays real-time CPU and memory utilization per dataplane or control plane process, which directly helps identify resource exhaustion causing latency. This command provides granular per-process metrics, unlike the aggregated 'show system resources', making it essential for pinpointing bottlenecks in high-latency scenarios.
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 resource-monitor
Why this is correct
This command shows dataplane resource utilization, useful for identifying CPU/memory bottlenecks.
- ✗
show session info
Why it's wrong here
This command shows active sessions but does not directly indicate performance bottlenecks.
- ✗
show log traffic
Why it's wrong here
This command shows traffic logs, which are for historical analysis, not real-time bottleneck identification.
- ✓
show system resources
Why this is correct
This command shows overall system CPU, memory, and disk usage, helping identify resource constraints.
- ✓
show counter global
Why this is correct
This command displays global packet counters, including drops, indicating potential bottlenecks.
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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.