PCNSE Practice Question: Managing Troubleshooting and High Availability
Which TWO statements about active/active HA mode are true compared to active/passive mode? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates assume active/active mode eliminates the need for failover or is the default mode, but in reality, failover is still required and active/passive is the default; the key differentiator is the need for asymmetric routing support in active/active mode.
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
✓
Active/active requires enabling asymmetric routing support
In active/active HA mode, both firewalls can process traffic simultaneously, which requires enabling asymmetric routing support to handle traffic that may arrive at either firewall for the same session. This is necessary because active/active mode does not enforce a single path for traffic, unlike active/passive mode where only one firewall actively processes traffic.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Active/active eliminates the need for failover
Why it's wrong here
Active/active still requires failover; both firewalls process traffic simultaneously, and sessions fail over between them when one fails. It would be the correct choice when describing a design that removes idle standby capacity, not when claiming failover is unnecessary.
- ✓
Active/active requires enabling asymmetric routing support
Why this is correct
In active/active HA, both firewalls simultaneously hold sessions and forward traffic, so return packets may traverse a different device than the original flow. Enabling asymmetric routing support lets each peer forward such traffic without dropping it, a requirement absent in active/passive.
- ✓
Active/active allows both firewalls to process traffic simultaneously
Why this is correct
Active/active HA differs fundamentally from active/passive because both peers actively forward traffic concurrently, sharing session load rather than one device remaining idle in standby. This simultaneous processing is the defining characteristic that distinguishes the two HA modes.
- ✗
Active/active automatically synchronizes configuration changes
Why it's wrong here
Configuration synchronisation is inherent to both HA modes, not a differentiator between them; active/active adds session ownership and load distribution. It is tempting because active/active does synchronise state, but that applies equally to active/passive, so it cannot be a true comparative statement.
- ✗
Active/active is the default and most commonly deployed mode
Why it's wrong here
Active/passive remains the default and most widely deployed mode; active/active requires additional configuration and careful session-owner design. It is tempting because active/active offers throughput benefits, but that does not make it the default, so the statement is factually reversed.
Quick reference
Asymmetric Encryption Algorithm Comparison
| Algorithm | Key Exchange | Signatures | Equivalent Security Key | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RSA-3072 | Yes | Yes | 128-bit | Widely deployed; slow for bulk data |
| ECDSA P-256 | No | Yes | 128-bit | Fast signatures; standard TLS certs |
| ECDH / ECDHE | Yes | No | 128-bit | Perfect forward secrecy in TLS 1.3 |
| DH / DHE | Yes | No | 128-bit (3072-bit key) | Replaced by ECDHE in modern TLS |
| Ed25519 | No | Yes | ~128-bit | SSH keys, modern PKI |
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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.