Free Practice Questions for Paloalto Networks PSE-SWFW-Pro-24 Exam

Several resources are available to assist with planning and implementing Palo Alto Networks NGFW solutions:

A. Technical assistance center (TAC): While TAC provides support for existing deployments, they are generally not directly involved in the initial planning and implementation phases. TAC helps with troubleshooting and resolving issues after the firewall is deployed.

B. Partners / systems Integrators: Partners and system integrators play a crucial role in planning and implementation. They possess expertise in network design, security best practices, and Palo Alto Networks products, enabling them to design and deploy solutions tailored to customer needs.

C. Professional services: Palo Alto Networks professional services offer expert assistance with all phases of the project, from planning and design to implementation and knowledge transfer. They can provide specialized skills and best-practice guidance.

D. Proof of Concept Labs: While valuable for testing and validating solutions, Proof of Concept (POC) labs are more focused on evaluating the technology before a full-scale implementation. They are not the primary resources for the actual planning and implementation process itself, though they can inform it.

E. QuickStart services: QuickStart packages are a type of professional service specifically designed for rapid deployment. They provide a structured approach to implementation, accelerating the time to value.

References:

Information about these resources can be found on the Palo Alto Networks website and partner portal:

Partner locator: The Palo Alto Networks website has a partner locator tool to find certified partners and system integrators.

Professional services: Details about Palo Alto Networks professional services offerings, including QuickStart packages, are available on their website.

These resources confirm that partners/system integrators, professional services (including QuickStart), are key resources for planning and implementation. While TAC and POCs have roles, they are not the primary resources for this phase.

Cloud NGFW for Azure and AWS can be deployed using various methods.

Why A, B, and E are correct:

A. Azure CLI or Azure Terraform Provider: Cloud NGFW for Azure can be deployed and managed using Azure's command-line interface (CLI) or through Infrastructure-as-Code tools like Terraform. Cloud NGFW for AWS can be deployed and managed using AWS CloudFormation or Terraform.

B. Azure Portal: Cloud NGFW for Azure can be deployed directly through the Azure portal's graphical interface.

E. Palo Alto Networks Ansible playbooks: Palo Alto Networks provides Ansible playbooks for automating the deployment and configuration of Cloud NGFW in both Azure and AWS.

Why C and D are incorrect:

C. AWS Firewall Manager: AWS Firewall Manager is an AWS service for managing AWS WAF, AWS Shield, and VPC security groups. It is not used to deploy Cloud NGFW.

D. Panorama AWS and Azure plugins: While Panorama is used to manage Cloud NGFW, the deployment itself is handled through native cloud tools (Azure portal, CLI, Terraform) or Ansible.

Palo Alto Networks References:

Cloud NGFW for Azure and AWS Documentation: This documentation provides deployment instructions using various methods, including the Azure portal, Azure CLI, Terraform, and Ansible.

Palo Alto Networks GitHub Repositories: Palo Alto Networks provides Ansible playbooks and Terraform modules for Cloud NGFW deployments.

Comprehensive and Detailed In-Depth Step-by-Step Explanation:Bootstrapping is an automation method for VM-Series firewalls that simplifies initial deployment, configuration, licensing, and content updates. The Palo Alto Networks Systems Engineer Professional - Software Firewall documentation details the process, including how authentication codes (auth codes) are managed during bootstrapping.

Palo Alto Networks Support Portal (Option C): Auth codes, which are used to activate licenses for VM-Series firewalls, must be registered in the Palo Alto Networks Customer Support Portal (also referred to as the Support Portal). During the bootstrapping process, the auth codes are included in the bootstrap package (e.g., in the license file or init-cfg.txt) and are validated against the serial number of the firewall. The Support Portal is where customers register auth codes, generate licenses, and manage credit-based licensing, ensuring the firewall is properly licensed during automated deployment. The documentation emphasizes the Support Portal as the central location for auth code registration and licensing management.

Options A (ESXi server manifest), B (AutoConfig template), and D (Palo Alto Networks App Hub) are incorrect. An ESXi server manifest (Option A) is specific to VMware ESXi and does not handle auth code registration for Palo Alto Networks firewalls. An AutoConfig template (Option B) is not a recognized term in the bootstrapping context; the correct file is init-cfg.txt, but it does not register auth codes—it uses them after registration. The Palo Alto Networks App Hub (Option D) focuses on application visibility and control, not licensing or auth code registration, making it irrelevant for this process.

References: Palo Alto Networks Systems Engineer Professional - Software Firewall, Section: Bootstrapping Guide, VM-Series Licensing Documentation, Customer Support Portal Documentation.

Comprehensive and Detailed In-Depth Step-by-Step Explanation:Both Cloud NGFW for Azure and VM-Series firewalls are Palo Alto Networks solutions designed to secure cloud and virtualized environments, but they share specific capabilities as outlined in the Palo Alto Networks Systems Engineer Professional - Software Firewall documentation.

Using NGFW credits to deploy the firewall (Option A): Both Cloud NGFW for Azure and VM-Series firewalls can be deployed using Palo Alto Networks’ NGFW credit-based flexible licensing model. This allows customers to allocate credits from a credit pool to deploy and manage these firewalls in Azure, providing flexibility and cost efficiency without requiring separate licenses for each instance. The documentation emphasizes this as a shared licensing approach for software firewalls in cloud environments.

Securing inbound, outbound, and lateral traffic (Option D): Both solutions provide comprehensive traffic protection, including inbound (external to internal), outbound (internal to external), and lateral (east-west) traffic within the cloud environment. This is a core capability of both Cloud NGFW for Azure, which uses a distributed architecture, and VM-Series, which can be configured for similar traffic flows in virtualized or cloud settings, ensuring full visibility and control over all network traffic.

Options B (Securing public and private datacenter traffic) and C (Performing firewall administration using Azure Firewall Manager) are incorrect. While both firewalls can secure traffic, they are primarily designed for cloud environments, not explicitly for public and private datacenter traffic as a shared capability. Azure Firewall Manager is a native Azure tool and does not manage Palo Alto Networks Cloud NGFW or VM-Series firewalls, making Option C inaccurate for this context.

References: Palo Alto Networks Systems Engineer Professional - Software Firewall, Section: Cloud NGFW and VM-Series Deployment, Flexible Licensing Documentation, Traffic Security and Policy Enforcement Guide for Azure and VM-Series.

Comprehensive and Detailed In-Depth Step-by-Step Explanation:Increasing throughput for a VM-Series firewall running on VMware ESXi with flexible licensing requires adjusting virtual CPU (vCPU) resources, which impacts performance tiers. The Palo Alto Networks Systems Engineer Professional - Software Firewall documentation outlines the process for modifying VM-Series resources to minimize downtime, particularly for flexible-license models.

Option B (Correct Answer): This order minimizes downtime by ensuring all steps are performed efficiently and safely:

Power-off the VM and increase the vCPUs within the hypervisor: Shutting down the VM-Series firewall on ESXi avoids any risk of corruption or performance issues during resource changes. Increasing vCPUs in the hypervisor (e.g., VMware vSphere) adjusts the hardware resources allocated to the VM, enabling higher throughput.

Increase the vCPU within the deployment profile: After adjusting the hypervisor, update the deployment profile in the Palo Alto Networks Customer Support Portal or Strata Cloud Manager to reflect the new vCPU count, ensuring the flexible license aligns with the updated resources.

Retrieve or fetch license keys on the VM-Series NGFW: With the vCPU change applied, the VM-Series fetches or retrieves new license keys based on the updated deployment profile, activating the higher-tier performance level (e.g., from Tier 1 to Tier 2).

Confirm the correct tier level and vCPU appear on the NGFW dashboard: After powering on and licensing, verify the VM-Series dashboard shows the updated vCPU count and corresponding performance tier, ensuring throughput increases as expected.

Power-on the VM-Series NGFW: Restart the VM to apply changes, minimizing downtime by ensuring all preparatory steps (power-off, resource adjustment, licensing) are completed before rebooting.This sequence minimizes downtime by handling resource changes offline, updating licensing, and validating the configuration before bringing the firewall back online, as recommended in the documentation for flexible licensing and VM resource adjustments.

Options A, C, and D are incorrect because they involve powering off the VM after licensing or resource changes, increasing downtime or risking configuration errors. For example, Option A powers off after increasing vCPUs in the profile and licensing, delaying the physical resource adjustment. Option C powers off after licensing, potentially causing licensing mismatches. Option D powers on the VM before licensing and profile updates, risking operational issues or downtime during reconfiguration. The documentation emphasizes minimizing downtime by completing all preparatory steps before rebooting, making Option B the optimal sequence.

References: Palo Alto Networks Systems Engineer Professional - Software Firewall, Section: VM-Series Flexible Licensing, VMware ESXi Deployment Guide, Performance Tuning and Resource Adjustment Documentation.

The scenario describes a need for programmatic and automated updating of a custom URL category on a Palo Alto Networks firewall. The XML API is specifically designed for this kind of task. It allows external systems and scripts to interact with the firewall's configuration and operational data.

Here's why the XML API is the appropriate solution and why the other options are not:

D. XML API: The XML API provides a well-defined interface for making changes to the firewall's configuration. This includes creating, modifying, and deleting URL categories and adding or removing URLs within those categories. A script can be written to retrieve the list of "bad sites" from the company's application and then use the XML API to push those URLs into the custom URL category on the firewall. This process can be automated on a schedule. This is the most efficient and recommended method for this type of integration.

Why other options are incorrect:

A. Dynamic User Groups: Dynamic User Groups are used to dynamically group users based on attributes like username, group membership, or device posture. They are not relevant for managing URL categories.

B. SNMP SET: SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) is primarily used for monitoring and retrieving operational data from network devices. While SNMP can be used to make some configuration changes, it is not well-suited for complex configuration updates like adding multiple URLs to a category. The XML API is the preferred method for configuration changes.

C. Dynamic Address Groups: Dynamic Address Groups are used to dynamically populate address groups based on criteria like tags, IP addresses, or FQDNs. They are intended for managing IP addresses and not URLs, so they are not applicable to this scenario.

Palo Alto Networks References:

The primary reference for this is the Palo Alto Networks XML API documentation. Searching the Palo Alto Networks support site (live.paloaltonetworks.com) for "XML API" will provide access to the latest documentation. This documentation details the various API calls available, including those for managing URL categories.

Specifically, you would look for API calls related to:

Creating or modifying custom URL categories.

Adding or removing URLs from a URL category.

The XML API documentation provides examples and detailed information on how to construct the XML requests and interpret the responses. This is crucial for developing a script to automate the URL updates.

When a virtual machine moves between hosts and its IP address changes (or if it's assigned a new IP from a pool), traditional static security policies become ineffective. Dynamic Address Groups solve this problem.

A. Dynamic Address Groups: These groups automatically update their membership based on criteria such as tags, VM names, or other dynamic attributes. When a VM moves and its IP address changes, the Dynamic Address Group automatically updates its membership, ensuring that security policies remain effective without manual intervention. This is the correct solution for this scenario.

B. Dynamic User Groups: These groups are based on user identity and are used for user-based policy enforcement, not for tracking IP addresses of VMs.

C. Dynamic Host Groups: This is not a standard Palo Alto Networks term.

D. Dynamic IP Groups: While the concept sounds similar, the official Palo Alto Networks terminology is "Dynamic Address Groups." They achieve the functionality described in the question.

Software NGFW credits and deployment profiles manage licenses for VM-Series firewalls.

A. Edit the current deployment profile to remove the Advanced URL Filtering license: This is the correct approach. Deployment profiles are used to define the licenses associated with VM-Series firewalls. Modifying the profile directly updates the licensing for all firewalls using that profile.

B. On the firewall, issue this command: > delete url subscription license: This command does not exist. Licenses are managed through the deployment profile, not directly on the firewall via CLI in this context.

C. Add a new deployment profile with all the licenses selected except Advanced URL Filtering: While this would work, it's less efficient than simply editing the existing profile.

D. Delete the current deployment profile from the cloud service provider: This is too drastic. Deleting the profile would remove all licensing and configuration associated with it, not just the Advanced URL Filtering license.

Comprehensive and Detailed In-Depth Step-by-Step Explanation:VM-Series firewalls and Cloud NGFWs are both Palo Alto Networks software firewall solutions, but they differ in architecture and deployment models (virtualized vs. cloud-native). The Palo Alto Networks Systems Engineer Professional - Software Firewall documentation identifies shared characteristics and differences to determine which statements are valid for both solutions.

Panorama can manage VM-Series firewalls and Cloud NGFWs (Option B): Panorama is Palo Alto Networks’ centralized management platform that supports both VM-Series firewalls and Cloud NGFWs. For VM-Series, Panorama provides centralized policy management, logging, and configuration for virtualized deployments in public, private, or hybrid clouds. For Cloud NGFW, Panorama integrates with AWS and Azure to manage policies, configurations, and monitoring, though some management tasks may also leverage cloud-native tools. The documentation consistently highlights Panorama as a unified management solution for both, ensuring consistency across deployments.

Options A (VM-Series firewalls and Cloud NGFWs can be deployed in a customer's private cloud), C (Updates for VM-Series firewalls and Cloud NGFWs are performed by the customer), and D (VM-Series firewalls and Cloud NGFWs can be deployed in all public cloud vendor environments) are incorrect. While VM-Series firewalls can be deployed in private clouds, Cloud NGFWs are specifically designed for public clouds (AWS and Azure) and are not typically deployed in private clouds, making Option A invalid for both. Updates for Cloud NGFWs are handled automatically by the cloud service (e.g., AWS/Azure), while VM-Series updates are managed by the customer, so Option C is not true for both. VM-Series can be deployed in most public clouds (AWS, Azure, GCP), but Cloud NGFW is limited to AWS and Azure, so Option D is not universally accurate for both solutions.

References: Palo Alto Networks Systems Engineer Professional - Software Firewall, Section: VM-Series and Cloud NGFW Comparison, Panorama Management Documentation, Cloud NGFW Deployment Guide for AWS/Azure, VM-Series Deployment Guide.