PCNSE Manage, Monitor and Operate Practice Question
An administrator is preparing to upgrade a PA-5220 firewall from PAN-OS 10.2 to a later maintenance release. Before the upgrade, the administrator wants to minimize the chance of a failed upgrade and ensure a rollback path exists. Which two actions should the administrator take? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is treating free-space cleanup as more important than preserving the previous image, when the previous image is the primary rollback mechanism.
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
✓
Verify that the current configuration passes validation and resolve any commit warnings before starting.
Validating the configuration and clearing commit warnings ensures the new PAN-OS version can commit the existing configuration, and exporting both a configuration snapshot and a device state backup creates an external restore point. Together these steps reduce upgrade risk and guarantee a usable rollback path if the new version misbehaves.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Verify that the current configuration passes validation and resolve any commit warnings before starting.
Why this is correct
Configuration errors or unresolved commit warnings can cause the post-upgrade commit to fail, leaving the firewall in an inconsistent state. Validating the configuration and clearing warnings beforehand ensures the new PAN-OS version can commit the existing configuration cleanly, which directly reduces the risk of a failed upgrade and preserves a predictable rollback point.
- ✗
Change the management interface to a different IP address so the upgrade does not conflict with the old configuration.
Why it's wrong here
Changing the management IP address is unnecessary for an upgrade and risks losing connectivity to the firewall mid-process. The upgrade preserves management settings, so altering the address introduces an avoidable failure mode and does not contribute to either upgrade success or rollback capability.
- ✗
Delete the previous PAN-OS image from the firewall to free space for the new version.
Why it's wrong here
Removing the previous image eliminates the ability to revert to the prior PAN-OS version, which directly contradicts the goal of maintaining a rollback path. Space management is important, but the previous image should be retained until the new version is verified as stable; deleting it prematurely removes the fastest rollback option.
- ✓
Export a named configuration snapshot and a device state backup to an external server before upgrading.
Why this is correct
Exporting the configuration and the device state provides an external restore point that survives even a failed upgrade or a corrupted local copy. If the upgrade must be rolled back or the device rebuilt, the administrator can reimport these files, so this step is essential for a reliable rollback path and is a standard pre-upgrade practice.
- ✗
Disable all Security policy rules temporarily so that traffic is not inspected during the upgrade.
Why it's wrong here
Disabling Security policy rules has no bearing on upgrade success and creates a security gap during the change window. The upgrade process does not require policies to be disabled, and doing so would leave the network unprotected without improving the reliability of the software upgrade or the rollback path.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Palo Alto Networks exam blueprint
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