Network Security Administrator SD-WAN-Engineer Exam Questions and Answers PDF

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation

In the Prisma SD-WAN architecture, the terminology distinguishes between "Native" automation and "Legacy" interoperability.

Secure Fabric Links: These are the proprietary, automated overlay tunnels created between two Prisma SD-WAN ION devices (e.g., Branch ION to Data Center ION). The controller automatically manages the IP addressing, key rotation, and routing for these links. You do not manually configure "Phase 1" or "Phase 2" parameters for Secure Fabric links.

Standard VPNs: These are traditional, standards-based IPSec tunnels configured to connect an ION device to a Non-ION endpoint (Third-Party Peer). This is used for "Data Center to Data Center" connections where one side is a legacy firewall (e.g., Cisco ASA, Palo Alto Networks NGFW) or for connecting to cloud security services (SSE) that do not have a specific CloudBlade integration. For a Standard VPN, the administrator must manually define the IKE/IPSec profiles, pre-shared keys, and peer IP addresses to match the third-party device's configuration.

In the Prisma SD-WAN architecture, the Controller serves as the centralized management and control plane for the entire fabric. While the Cloud Identity Engine (CIE) is the component responsible for collecting and consolidating user-to-IP mappings from various identity providers (such as Active Directory, Okta, or Azure AD), it does not directly manage the distribution of this operational data to the individual ION devices at the branch level.

Instead, the Prisma SD-WAN Controller integrates with the Cloud Identity Engine to ingest these identity mappings. Once the Controller has synchronized the User-IP and user-group information, it acts as the primary orchestrator. It is responsible for distributing these mappings down to the ION devices across all sites. This distribution ensures that when an ION device sees traffic from a specific source IP, it can accurately associate that traffic with a specific user or group based on the metadata provided by the Controller.

By centralizing this distribution through the Controller, Prisma SD-WAN ensures consistency across the network. Branch ION devices can then apply Application-Based Path Selection and security policies based on user identity rather than just IP addresses. This architectural design offloads the processing requirements of maintaining direct connections to identity providers from the branch hardware, allowing the Controller to handle the heavy lifting of orchestration and global synchronization of identity data.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation

Dynamic VPNs (also known as ION-to-ION or Branch-to-Branch VPNs) allow Prisma SD-WAN devices to establish direct, on-demand secure tunnels between branch sites to optimize latency for peer-to-peer traffic (e.g., VoIP calls between offices).

To enable this capability, the primary architectural requirement is the configuration of VPN Clusters.

A VPN Cluster defines a logical group of devices that are authorized to communicate with one another.

By default, or if devices are in different clusters without peering, the topology typically defaults to Hub-and-Spoke, where branches only talk to the Data Center.

When two branch ION devices are placed into the same VPN Cluster (or peered clusters), the controller shares the necessary reachability and cryptographic information between them.

Once in the same cluster, the ION devices monitor traffic. If a user at Branch A tries to contact a server at Branch B, the ION devices detect this interest. If a direct path is available (e.g., via public internet), they will dynamically negotiate a direct VPN tunnel, bypassing the Data Center hub. This offloads the hub and reduces latency. Option B is incorrect because SD-WAN eliminates manual GRE config. Option C is incorrect because dynamic VPNs are a performance feature, not just a disaster recovery feature.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation

The RMA replacement process in Prisma SD-WAN is designed to be seamless, leveraging the decoupling of logical configuration from physical hardware.

Replace Device Workflow: The administrator should use the "Replace Device" (or RMA) function within the portal. This workflow allows you to select the "Defective" device (old serial) and the "Replacement" device (new serial).

Configuration Transfer: Once executed, the system automatically binds the existing Device Shell (which contains all interface configs, routing policies, and site associations) to the new hardware's serial number. The new device, once connected to the internet, will "call home," identify itself, and download the exact configuration of the previous unit.

License Transfer: While the configuration moves automatically, the Support License transfer typically requires a specific step in the Customer Support Portal (CSP) or happens automatically if processed as a formal RMA order. Options A and D are incorrect because they involve manual reconfiguration, which is unnecessary and error-prone. Option C is incorrect as the ION platform relies on cloud-based config management, not local USB backups for hardware swaps.