PCNSE Practice Question: Managing Troubleshooting and High Availability
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit. admin@PA-220> show high-availability state High-Availability State: non-functional State: non-functional Reason: configuration mismatch Local: functional, sync-pending Peer: running, sync-pending Active: 10.1.1.1 Passive: 10.1.1.2 Last failure reason: configuration mismatch
Refer to the exhibit. What is the primary cause of the 'non-functional' state?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse 'non-functional' with a link failure or peer down state, but the 'non-functional' state is uniquely tied to configuration synchronization issues, not connectivity or hardware failures.
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 configuration on the two firewalls is not identical
The 'non-functional' state in a Palo Alto Networks HA pair indicates that the configuration synchronization (config sync) has failed because the configurations on the two firewalls are not identical. This is a prerequisite for HA operation; if the configurations differ, the HA pair cannot establish a functional sync state, even if HA1 and HA2 links are up.
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 configuration sync operation has failed
Why it's wrong here
A failed configuration sync leaves peers with mismatched running configs, which PAN-OS reports as non-functional. This is the exhibit's cause. It tempts because sync failures are frequent, but the stem describes an HA1 link problem, so sync is a symptom rather than the trigger.
- ✗
One firewall is not running
Why it's wrong here
A powered-off peer cannot form an HA pair, but the exhibit's non-functional state stems from the HA1 heartbeat path, not power loss. This option tempts when a device is genuinely down; here both firewalls are running, so power state is not the fault.
- ✗
HA1 link failure between 10.1.1.1 and 10.1.1.2
Why it's wrong here
HA1 carries heartbeats and synchronisation, so its failure breaks state sharing and forces non-functional status. This is the exhibit's actual fault. It tempts because HA1 outages are common, but the stem's non-functional state is caused by configuration mismatch, not link loss.
- ✓
The configuration on the two firewalls is not identical
Why this is correct
Identical configuration is mandatory for an active/passive HA pair to form and synchronise state. Any divergence in interfaces, zones or policies prevents the peer from reaching a functional state, directly causing the non-functional status shown.
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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.