PCNSE Troubleshoot Practice Question
A security administrator is trying to isolate a performance issue on a PA-3220. Which two commands provide real-time information about the dataplane performance? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
The PCNSE exam often tests the distinction between control-plane and dataplane commands, and the trap here is that candidates mistake 'show counter global' for a performance command when it actually shows traffic statistics, not resource utilization.
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 system resources dataplane
'show system resources dataplane' displays real-time CPU and memory utilization specifically for the dataplane, which directly impacts packet processing performance. Option C is correct because 'show running resource-monitor' provides live counters for dataplane resource usage, including session utilization and flow table capacity, helping isolate performance bottlenecks.
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 system resources dataplane
Why this is correct
This command displays dataplane-specific resource statistics in real time.
- ✗
show counter global
Why it's wrong here
This shows global packet counters, not real-time performance.
- ✓
show running resource-monitor
Why this is correct
This command shows real-time dataplane and management plane resource utilization.
- ✗
show session info
Why it's wrong here
This shows session counts but not performance metrics.
- ✗
show job all
Why it's wrong here
This shows background jobs, not dataplane performance.
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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.