PCSFE Online Practice Questions and Answers

Correct Answer: AD

Explanation: To configure a default route to an internet router, you need to select Network > Virtual Router, then select the default link to open the Virtual Router dialog. Then, select the Static Routes tab, then click Add. You can then specify the destination as 0.0.0.0/0 and the next hop as the IP address of the internet router1. References: Palo Alto Networks Certified Software Firewall Engineer (PCSFE)

Correct Answer: BD

Explanation: The two valid components that are used in installation of a VM-Series firewall in an OpenStack environment are: OpenStack heat template in YAML Ain't Markup Language (YAML) format VM-Series qcow2 image OpenStack is a cloud computing platform that provides infrastructure as a service (IaaS) for deploying and managing virtual machines (VMs) and other resources. OpenStack environment requires network security that can protect the traffic between VMs or other cloud services from cyberattacks and enforce granular security policies based on application, user, content, and threat information. VM-Series firewall is a virtualized version of the Palo Alto Networks next-generation firewall that can be deployed on various cloud or virtualization platforms, including OpenStack. OpenStack heat template in YAML format is a valid component that is used in installation of a VM-Series firewall in an OpenStack environment. OpenStack heat template is a file that defines the resources and configuration for deploying and managing a VM-Series firewall instance on OpenStack. YAML is a human-readable data serialization language that is commonly used for configuration files. YAML format is supported for OpenStack heat templates for VM-Series firewalls. VM-Series qcow2 image is a valid component that is used in installation of a VM- Series firewall in an OpenStack environment. VM-Series qcow2 image is a file that contains the software image of the VM-Series firewall for OpenStack. qcow2 is a disk image format that supports features such as compression, encryption, snapshots, and copy-on-write. qcow2 format is supported for VM-Series images for OpenStack. OpenStack heat template in JSON format and VM-Series VHD image are not valid components that are used in installation of a VM-Series firewall in an OpenStack environment, as those are not supported formats for OpenStack heat templates or VM-Series images. References: Palo Alto Networks Certified Software Firewall Engineer (PCSFE), [Deploy the VM-Series Firewall on OpenStack], [What is YAML?], [What is qcow2?]

Correct Answer: AB

Explanation: To deploy VM-Series firewalls in high availability (HA), you need to assign identical licenses and subscriptions, and deploy them on a different host. Assigning identical licenses and subscriptions ensures that both firewalls have the same features and capabilities. Deploying them on a different host ensures that they are not affected by the same host failure. References: [VM-Series High Availability]

Correct Answer: BC

Explanation: The two requirements for automating service deployment of a VM-Series firewall from an NSX Manager are: Panorama has been configured to recognize both the NSX Manager and vCenter. The deployed VM-Series firewall can establish communications with Panorama. NSX Manager is a software component that provides centralized management and control of the NSX environment, including network virtualization, automation, and security. Service deployment is a process that involves deploying and configuring network services, such as firewalls, load balancers, or routers, on the NSX environment. VM-Series firewall is a virtualized version of the Palo Alto Networks next-generation firewall that can be deployed on various cloud or virtualization platforms, including NSX. Panorama is a centralized management server that provides visibility and control over multiple Palo Alto Networks firewalls and devices. Panorama has been configured to recognize both the NSX Manager and vCenter is a requirement for automating service deployment of a VM-Series firewall from an NSX Manager. vCenter is a software component that provides centralized management and control of the VMware environment, including hypervisors, virtual machines, and other resources. Panorama has been configured to recognize both the NSX Manager and vCenter by adding them as VMware service managers and enabling service insertion for VM-Series firewalls on NSX. This allows Panorama to communicate with the NSX Manager and vCenter, retrieve information about the NSX environment, and deploy and manage VM-Series firewalls as network services on the NSX environment. The deployed VM-Series firewall can establish communications with Panorama is a requirement for automating service deployment of a VM-Series firewall from an NSX Manager. The deployed VM-Series firewall can establish communications with Panorama by registering with Panorama using its serial number or IP address, and receiving configuration updates and policy rules from Panorama. This allows the VM-Series firewall to operate as part of the Panorama management domain, synchronize its settings and status with Panorama, and report its logs and statistics to Panorama. vCenter has been given Palo Alto Networks subscription licenses for VM-Series firewalls and Panorama can establish communications to the public Palo Alto Networks update servers are not requirements for automating service deployment of a VM-Series firewall from an NSX Manager, as those are not related or relevant factors for service deployment automation. References: [Palo Alto Networks Certified Software Firewall Engineer (PCSFE)], [Deploy the VM-Series Firewall on VMware NSX-T], [Panorama Overview], [VMware Service Manager], [Register the Firewall with Panorama]

Correct Answer: C

Explanation: Containers are the elements that a CN-Series firewall can secure traffic between. Containers are isolated units of software that run on a shared operating system and have their own resources, dependencies, and configuration. A CN-Series firewall can inspect and enforce security policies on traffic between containers within a pod, across pods, or across namespaces in a Kubernetes cluster. Host containers, source applications, and IPods are not valid elements that a CN-Series firewall can secure traffic between. References: Palo Alto Networks Certified Software Firewall Engineer (PCSFE), [CN-Series Concepts], [What is a Container?]

Correct Answer: A

Explanation: Deployment of the NSX Distributed Firewall (DFW) must be configured in an NSX environment to ensure proper operation of a VM-Series firewall in order to secure east-west traffic. East-west traffic is the traffic that flows between applications or workloads within a network or a cloud environment. NSX environment is a private cloud environment that provides software-defined networking (SDN) and security for heterogeneous endpoints and workloads across multiple hypervisors, containers, bare metal servers, or clouds. NSX DFW is a feature that provides distributed stateful firewalling at the hypervisor level for every virtual machine (VM) in an NSX environment. Deployment of the NSX DFW must be configured in an NSX environment to ensure proper operation of a VM-Series firewall in order to secure east-west traffic by enabling features such as service insertion, policy redirection, service chaining, orchestration, monitoring, logging, and automation for VM- Series firewalls and Panorama on NSX environment. VMware Information Sources, User- ID agent on a Windows domain server, and device groups within VMware Services Manager do not need to be configured in an NSX environment to ensure proper operation of a VM-Series firewall in order to secure east-west traffic, as those are not required or relevant components for NSX integration. References: [Palo Alto Networks Certified Software Firewall Engineer (PCSFE)], [Deploy the VM-Series Firewall on VMware NSX-T], [What is VMware NSX-T?], [What is NSX Distributed Firewall?]

Correct Answer: AD

Explanation: The two features of CN-Series firewalls that protect east-west traffic between pods in different trust zones are: Intrusion prevention system Layer 7 visibility East-west traffic is the traffic that flows between applications or workloads within a network or a cloud environment. Pods are the smallest units of deployment in Kubernetes, consisting of one or more containers that share resources and network space. Trust zones are segments of the network or the cloud environment that have different levels of security requirements or policies based on data sensitivity, user identity, device type, or application function. CN-Series firewalls are containerized firewalls that integrate with Kubernetes and provide visibility and control over container traffic. Intrusion prevention system is a feature of CN-Series firewalls that protects east-west traffic between pods in different trust zones by detecting and blocking known exploits and vulnerabilities using signature-based and behavior-based methods. Layer 7 visibility is a feature of CN-Series firewalls that protects east-west traffic between pods in different trust zones by identifying and classifying applications and protocols based on their content and characteristics, regardless of port, encryption, or evasion techniques. Communication with Panorama and external load balancer are not features of CN-Series firewalls that protect east-west traffic between pods in different trust zones, but they are related features that can enhance management and performance. References: Palo Alto Networks Certified Software Firewall Engineer (PCSFE), [CN-Series Concepts], [CN-Series Deployment Guide for Native K8], [Intrusion Prevention System Overview], [App-ID Overview]

Correct Answer: B

Explanation: The partition can be accomplished without editing the IP addresses or the default gateways of any of the guest VMs by creating a new virtual switch and using the VM-Series firewall to separate virtual switches using virtual wire mode. Then move the guests that require more security into the new virtual switch. A virtual switch is a software- based switch that connects virtual machines (VMs) in a VMware ESXi environment. A virtual wire is a deployment mode of the VM-Series firewall that allows it to act as a bump in the wire between two network segments, without requiring an IP address or routing configuration. By creating a new virtual switch and using the VM-Series firewall to separate virtual switches using virtual wire mode, the customer can isolate the group of VMs that require more security from the rest of the network, and apply security policies to the traffic passing through the firewall. The partition cannot be accomplished without editing the IP addresses or the default gateways of any of the guest VMs by editing the IP address of all of the affected VMs, creating a Layer 3 interface in the same subnet as the VMs and then configuring proxy Address Resolution Protocol (ARP), or sending the VLAN out of the virtual environment into a hardware Palo Alto Networks firewall in Layer 3 mode. Use the same IP address as the old default gateway, then delete it, as those methods would require changing the network configuration of the guest VMs or introducing additional complexity and latency. References: Palo Alto Networks Certified Software Firewall Engineer (PCSFE), [Deploying Virtual Switches], [Virtual Wire Deployment], [Deploying Virtual Wire on VMware ESXi]

Correct Answer: BD

Explanation: The two environments supported by the CN-Series firewall are: OpenShift Native K8 The CN-Series firewall is a containerized firewall that integrates with Kubernetes and provides visibility and control over container traffic. The CN-Series firewall can be deployed in various environments that support Kubernetes, such as public clouds, private clouds, or on-premises data centers. OpenShift is an environment supported by the CN-Series firewall. OpenShift is a platform that provides enterprise-grade Kubernetes and container orchestration, as well as developer tools and services. Native K8 is an environment supported by the CN-Series firewall. Native K8 is a term that refers to the standard Kubernetes distribution that is available from the Kubernetes project website, without any vendor-specific modifications or additions. Positive K and OpenStack are not environments supported by the CN-Series firewall, but they are related concepts that can be used for other purposes. References: Palo Alto Networks Certified Software Firewall Engineer (PCSFE), [CN-Series Datasheet], [CN-Series Deployment Guide for OpenShift], [CN- Series Deployment Guide for Native K8], [What is OpenShift?], [What is Kubernetes?]

Correct Answer: D

Explanation: Dynamic address group is the component that allows the flexibility to add network resources but does not require making changes to existing policies and rules. Dynamic address group is an object that represents a group of IP addresses based on criteria such as tags, regions, interfaces, or user-defined attributes. Dynamic address group allows Security policies to adapt dynamically to changes in the network topology or workload characteristics without requiring manual updates. Content-ID, External dynamic list, and App-ID are not components that allow the flexibility to add network resources but do not require making changes to existing policies and rules, but they are related features that can enhance security and visibility. References: Palo Alto Networks Certified Software Firewall Engineer (PCSFE), [Dynamic Address Groups Overview], [Content-ID Overview], [External Dynamic Lists Overview], [App-ID Overview]