PCNSE Manage, Monitor and Operate Practice Question
Two firewalls in an active/passive HA configuration are not synchronizing sessions. The 'show high-availability state' command shows both peers as 'active' and 'passive' correctly, but session synchronization is not working. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse the HA2 link (control link) with the HA3 link (session sync link), assuming that if HA state is correct and HA2 is up, session synchronization must also be working.
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 HA2 link is down.
In an active/passive HA configuration on PAN-OS, session synchronization occurs over the HA2 link (control link). If the HA2 link is down, session synchronization will not work even though the HA state shows 'active' and 'passive' correctly. The HA3 link is used for packet forwarding in active/active mode, not for session sync in active/passive mode.
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 not configured or is misconfigured.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. The HA3 link is used for packet forwarding in active/active mode, not for session synchronization in active/passive mode.
- ✓
The HA2 link is down.
Why this is correct
Correct. The HA2 link is responsible for session synchronization in active/passive mode. If it is down, sessions will not sync.
- ✗
The passive firewall does not have management API access.
Why it's wrong here
API access is not required for session synchronization.
- ✗
The logging settings on both firewalls are different.
Why it's wrong here
Logging settings do not affect session synchronization.
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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.