PCNSE Troubleshoot Practice Question
Which TWO commands can be used to check the status of an IPSec tunnel on a Palo Alto Networks firewall?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse general network commands (like routing or interface status) with VPN-specific commands, assuming that a working route or interface implies a functional IPSec tunnel, when in fact the tunnel may be down due to IKE or IPSec SA 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
✓
show vpn ike-sa
'show vpn ike-sa' displays the status of IKE Phase 1 security associations, which are essential for establishing the control channel of an IPSec tunnel. Option D is correct because 'show vpn ipsec-sa' shows the status of IKE Phase 2 security associations, which represent the actual data-plane IPSec tunnel. Both commands are used together to verify the full lifecycle of an IPSec VPN tunnel on Palo Alto Networks firewalls.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
show system info
Why it's wrong here
This shows system information, not VPN.
- ✓
show vpn ike-sa
Why this is correct
This shows the IKE security associations.
- ✗
show routing route
Why it's wrong here
This shows routing table, not VPN status.
- ✓
show vpn ipsec-sa
Why this is correct
This command lists the IPSec security associations.
- ✗
show interface all
Why it's wrong here
This shows interface status, not VPN tunnel status.
Quick reference
VPN Protocol Comparison
| Protocol | Port | Encryption | Authentication | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IKEv2 / IPsec | UDP 500 / 4500 | AES-256 | Certificates / PSK | Site-to-site & remote access |
| SSL / TLS VPN | TCP 443 | TLS 1.3 | Certificates / MFA | Clientless remote access |
| L2TP / IPsec | UDP 1701 | AES (IPsec) | PSK / Certificates | Legacy remote access |
| WireGuard | UDP 51820 | ChaCha20 | Public keys | Modern high-performance VPN |
| PPTP | TCP 1723 | MPPE (weak) | MS-CHAPv2 | Legacy — avoid in production |
PPTP is considered insecure. IKEv2/IPsec and SSL VPN are the current recommended options.
Go deeper
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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.