PCNSE Manage, Monitor and Operate Practice Question
Which THREE steps should be performed when upgrading an active/passive HA pair to a new PAN-OS version?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to assume both firewalls must be upgraded simultaneously to minimize downtime, but the correct approach is a sequential upgrade with a controlled failover to maintain session state and redundancy.
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
✓
Make the passive firewall active after its upgrade, then upgrade the original active.
In an active/passive HA pair, the recommended upgrade procedure is to first suspend HA synchronization (Option C), then upgrade the passive firewall (Option D), and finally make the upgraded passive firewall active (Option A) before upgrading the original active firewall. This ensures minimal downtime and maintains session state by leveraging the HA3 link for stateful failover. The correct three steps are A, C, and D.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Make the passive firewall active after its upgrade, then upgrade the original active.
Why this is correct
After upgrading the passive, perform a failover so it becomes active, then upgrade the original active.
- ✗
Upgrade both firewalls at the same time to minimize downtime.
Why it's wrong here
Simultaneous upgrade can cause split-brain or downtime; it is not recommended.
- ✓
Suspend the HA pair's synchronization.
Why this is correct
Suspending sync prevents configuration changes from being replicated during the upgrade.
- ✓
Upgrade the passive firewall first.
Why this is correct
This ensures the active firewall maintains operations while the passive is upgraded.
- ✗
Reconfigure the HA3 link after the upgrade.
Why it's wrong here
The HA3 link configuration does not change during an upgrade.
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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.