PCNSE Manage, Monitor and Operate Practice Question
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit. admin@PA-5250> show high-availability state HA State: active HA Link Status: HA1: up HA2: down HA3: down Peer State: non-functional
Refer to the exhibit. The firewall is active in an HA pair, but the peer is non-functional. The HA2 link is down. What is the most likely cause of the peer being non-functional?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to assume a down HA2 link directly causes a peer to be non-functional, but in reality, HA2 only affects session sync, not the firewall's ability to operate or form an HA pair, whereas a version mismatch is a hard blocker for HA formation.
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
✓
The peer firewall is running a different PAN-OS version
When an HA pair detects a version mismatch between peers, the firewall with the higher PAN-OS version will not form an active/passive HA state and will remain non-functional (or in a 'non-functional' state) to prevent configuration or session incompatibilities. The HA2 link being down is a separate issue that affects session synchronization but does not cause the peer to be completely non-functional; the peer can still operate with reduced HA capabilities. A version mismatch is a critical condition that prevents HA peering entirely, leading to one peer appearing non-functional.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The HA3 link is down
Why it's wrong here
HA3 is for packet forwarding, not state.
- ✗
The HA2 link is down, preventing session synchronization
Why it's wrong here
HA2 down affects session sync but not HA state.
- ✓
The peer firewall is running a different PAN-OS version
Why this is correct
Version mismatch causes non-functional state.
- ✗
The HA1 link is down
Why it's wrong here
HA1 is up.
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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.