PCNSE Troubleshoot Practice Question
After upgrading a PA-5250, the firewall is not passing traffic. The administrator checks the dataplane CPU utilization and sees it is at 100%. Which command should be run to identify the cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse 'show system resources dataplane' with 'show running resource-monitor' (which is for management-plane resource thresholds) or assume 'show session all' will reveal CPU overload, but session counts alone do not indicate CPU saturation.
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
The 'show system resources dataplane' command displays detailed CPU utilization per dataplane core, which is critical for identifying whether a single core is maxed out (e.g., due to a traffic storm or a specific session) or if the load is evenly distributed. In a PA-5250, the dataplane handles packet forwarding; 100% CPU indicates the dataplane is overwhelmed, and this command pinpoints the exact core(s) under stress, guiding further investigation into the root cause.
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 session all
Why it's wrong here
This may overload the system further and does not pinpoint CPU cause.
- ✓
show system resources dataplane
Why this is correct
This command displays dataplane CPU and memory, helping identify the bottleneck.
- ✗
show counter global
Why it's wrong here
This shows global packet counters but not CPU utilization.
- ✗
show running resource-monitor
Why it's wrong here
This shows aggregate resource usage but not dataplane-specific details.
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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.