PCNSE Practice Question: Managing Troubleshooting and High Availability
An HA pair is deployed with Active/Active mode. During a traffic spike, session table utilization reaches 90% on both firewalls. The engineer notices asymmetric routing and drops. What should be configured to optimize session distribution?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates assume increasing HA2 bandwidth or enabling session synchronization will fix load imbalance, but these address sync throughput, not the root cause of uneven session distribution.
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
✓
Adjust the session distribution algorithm to match traffic patterns
In an Active/Active HA pair, session distribution is controlled by a hash-based algorithm that determines which firewall handles a given flow. When asymmetric routing and drops occur during high session utilization, the default algorithm may not distribute traffic evenly, causing one firewall to become overloaded. Adjusting the session distribution algorithm (e.g., from IP hash to round-robin or a weighted distribution) can better match the traffic patterns and balance the load, reducing asymmetry and drops.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Change the HA mode to Active/Passive
Why it's wrong here
Would reduce capacity.
- ✓
Adjust the session distribution algorithm to match traffic patterns
Why this is correct
Proper distribution reduces asymmetric routing.
- ✗
Increase the HA2 link bandwidth using link aggregation
Why it's wrong here
Link aggregation helps with sync bandwidth, not distribution.
- ✗
Enable session synchronization for all sessions
Why it's wrong here
Synchronizing all would increase CPU and memory.
Quick reference
Asymmetric Encryption Algorithm Comparison
| Algorithm | Key Exchange | Signatures | Equivalent Security Key | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RSA-3072 | Yes | Yes | 128-bit | Widely deployed; slow for bulk data |
| ECDSA P-256 | No | Yes | 128-bit | Fast signatures; standard TLS certs |
| ECDH / ECDHE | Yes | No | 128-bit | Perfect forward secrecy in TLS 1.3 |
| DH / DHE | Yes | No | 128-bit (3072-bit key) | Replaced by ECDHE in modern TLS |
| Ed25519 | No | Yes | ~128-bit | SSH keys, modern PKI |
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every PCNSE question from scratch — 504 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.