PCNSE Deploy and Configure Firewalls Practice Question
In an Active/Passive HA pair, which statement is true regarding configuration synchronization?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often assume all configuration changes (including uncommitted candidate changes) are synced in real time, but Palo Alto Networks only syncs committed configurations to maintain consistency and prevent partial or broken configurations from being applied to the passive peer.
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
✓
Only committed changes on the active are synced to the passive.
In an Active/Passive HA pair, configuration synchronization occurs only after changes are committed on the active firewall. The passive peer then receives the committed configuration via the HA control link (using TCP port 2928 by default). This ensures that only validated, committed changes are propagated, preventing the passive from receiving uncommitted or partial configurations that could cause instability.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Configuration is not synced automatically; the administrator must export and import.
Why it's wrong here
Synchronization occurs automatically after commit.
- ✓
Only committed changes on the active are synced to the passive.
Why this is correct
Configuration is synced after a commit operation.
- ✗
All configuration changes on the active peer are automatically synced to the passive.
Why it's wrong here
Only committed changes are synced, not uncommitted changes.
- ✗
The passive peer initiates the sync.
Why it's wrong here
The active peer pushes the configuration to the passive.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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