NSE5_SSE_AD-7.6 Questions and Answers

According to theSD-WAN 7.6 Core Administratorstudy guide and theFortinet Document Library, the interaction between SD-WAN rules and SLA targets is governed by specific selection and measurement logic:

Usage by Strategy (Option B): SLA targets are fundamentally used by theLowest Cost (SLA)strategy to determine which links are currently healthy enough to be considered for traffic steering. While other strategies likeBest Qualityuse a "Measured SLA" to monitor metrics, they do not typically use the "Required SLA Target" to disqualify links unless specifically configured in a hybrid mode. In most curriculum contexts, the "Required SLA Target" field is specifically associated with the Lowest Cost and Maximize Bandwidth strategies.

SLA Compliance Checking (Option D): SD-WAN rules utilize SLA targets as a "pass/fail" gatekeeper. The engine checks if thepreferred membersmeet the defined SLA requirements (latency, jitter, or packet loss thresholds). If a preferred member fails the SLA, the rule will move to the next member in the priority list that does meet the SLA.

Single SLA Binding (Option E): When configuring an SD-WAN rule, the GUI and CLI allow you to selectmultiple SLA targets, but they must all belong to thesame Performance SLAprofile. You cannot mix and match targets from different health checks (e.g., Target 1 from "Google_HC" and Target 2 from "Amazon_HC") within a single SD-WAN rule.

Why other options are incorrect:

Option A: This is incorrect because a single SD-WAN rule can only be associated with one specific Performance SLA profile at a time; therefore, you cannot select targets fromdifferentSLAs.

Option C: This is incorrect because member metrics (latency, jitter, packet loss) are measured by thePerformance SLAprobes regardless of whether an SD-WAN rule is currently using that SLA target for steering decisions. Measurement is a function of the health-check, not the rule matching process.

According to the SD-WAN 7.6 Core Administrator curriculum and the provided exhibits, the traffic steering decision is determined by the interaction between the Lowest Cost (SLA) strategy and the link health status reported in the event logs.

Rule Strategy (Lowest Cost SLA): The SD-WAN rule configuration for ID 1 (named Critical-DIA) is set to mode sla. In this mode, the FortiGate will only steer traffic through member interfaces that satisfy the assigned Performance SLA targets.

Member Preference: The rule defines priority-members 1 2. This means that under normal conditions (where both links are healthy), Member 1 (port1) is the preferred interface because it is listed first.

Event Log Analysis:

The first log message explicitly states: "Member status changed. Member out-of-sla." for Member 1. This indicates that port1 has exceeded one of the thresholds (latency, jitter, or packet loss) defined in the Corp_HC health check.

The second log confirms: "Number of pass member changed. New Value: 1, Old Value: 2". This verifies that while there were previously two links passing the SLA, now only one link (Member 2/port2) remains in a passing state.

Steering Decision: Because the rule strategy is mode sla and the primary preferred member (port1) is now out-of-sla, the FortiGate immediately disqualifies Member 1 from the selection pool for this specific rule. It then moves to the next available member in the priority list that does satisfy the SLA, which is Member 2 (port2).

Why other options are incorrect:

Option A: FortiGate will not load balance or choose between both links because port1 is currently ineligible due to the SLA failure.

Option B: Steering to port1 would violate the "Lowest Cost (SLA)" rule logic, as that link is no longer meeting the required health standards.

Option D: FortiGate does not "skip" the rule unless no members meet the SLA and there is no fallback configured; in this scenario, port2 is still passing and available.

According to theFortiSASE 7.6 Administration GuideandDigital Experience Monitoring (DEM)documentation, the feature specifically designed to monitor SaaS application performance and connectivity to PoPs isDigital Experience Monitoring (DEM).

SaaS and Path Visibility: DEM assists administrators in troubleshooting remote user connectivity issues by providing enhanced health check visibility forSaaS applications, endpoint devices, and the network path. It provides real-time insights into application performance and latency issues.

PoP Connectivity: It monitors the digital journey from the end-user device through theSecurity Points of Presence (POPs)to the final application, identifying hops where degraded service (packet loss, delay, or jitter) is detected.

Proactive Management: By establishing thresholds and simulating user activities throughSynthetic Transaction Monitoring (STM), DEM allows IT teams to identify performance problems before they impact the business.

Why other options are incorrect:

Option A: Operations widgets provide general status overviews but do not offer the granular per-hop path analysis or specific SaaS transaction monitoring found in DEM.

Option B: FortiView dashboards provide traffic visibility and session data but are not dedicated performance monitoring tools for end-to-end digital experience.

Option C: Event logs record system occurrences and security events but do not provide real-time performance metrics or health check probes for SaaS applications.

According to theSD-WAN 7.6 Core Administratorcurriculum and the diagnostic outputs shown in the exhibit, the reason traffic is steered toHUB1-VPN3instead of the expectedHUB1-VPN1(defined in SD-WAN rule ID 1) can be explained by two core routing principles in FortiOS:

Valid Route Requirement (Option A): In thediagnose sys sdwan service 4output (which corresponds to Rule ID 1), it shows the rule has membersHUB1-VPN1,HUB1-VPN2, andHUB1-VPN3. A key principle of SD-WAN steering is that for a member to be "selectable" by a rule, itmust have a valid route to the destinationin the routing table (RIB/FIB). If the routing table output (the third section of the exhibit) shows a route to 10.0.0.0/8 viaHUB1-VPN3butnotthroughHUB1-VPN1, the SD-WAN engine will skip HUB1-VPN1 entirely because it is considered a "non-reachable" path for that specific destination.

Policy Route Precedence (Option D): In the FortiOS route lookup hierarchy,Regular Policy Routes (PBR)are evaluatedbeforeSD-WAN rules. If an administrator has configured a traditional Policy Route (found underNetwork > Policy Routes) that matches traffic destined for 10.0.0.0/8 and specifiesHUB1-VPN3as the outgoing interface, the FortiGate will forward the packet based on that policy route and willnever evaluate the SD-WAN rulesfor that session. This "bypass" occurs regardless of whether the SD-WAN rule would have chosen a "better" link.

Why other options are incorrect:

Option B: While member configuration priority (cfg_order) is a tie-breaker in some strategies, the SD-WAN rule logic is only applied if the routing table allows it or if a higher-priority policy route doesn't intercept the traffic first.

Option C: Lower route priority (which means higher preference in the RIB) affects theImplicit Rule(standard routing). However, SD-WAN rules are designed tooverrideRIB priority for matching traffic. If HUB1-VPN1 was a valid candidate and no Policy Route existed, the SD-WAN rule would typically ignore RIB priority to enforce its own steering strategy.

According to theSD-WAN 7.6 Core Administratorstudy guide and theFortinet Document Library, FortiOS maintains strict referential integrity for SD-WAN objects. An SD-WAN member interface cannot be deleted or removed from the configuration if it is still being "used" or referenced by other features.

Reference Locking: In the FortiOS GUI, the "Delete" button for an SD-WAN member is typically grayed out or an error message appears if the interface is part of an active service or monitoring tool.

Performance SLA Dependency: Performance SLAs (health checks) monitor specific member interfaces. If an interface is a participant in an SLA, it is considered "active" by the system. Therefore, a critical first step in the decommissioning process is toremove the member from all Performance SLA definitions. Once the health check is no longer polling that interface, one major reference lock is released.

Other Dependencies: While firewall policies and SD-WAN rules (service rules) also create references, the question specifies the member is "no longer used to steer traffic," implying it may have already been removed from steering rules. However, Performance SLAs often remain active in the background, making their removal the essential next step to permit the deletion of the member itself.

Why other options are incorrect:

Option A: Moving a member between zones doesn't help you delete it; it just changes its logical grouping. It still remains an active SD-WAN member.

Option B: Disabling the physical interface does not remove the configuration references within the SD-WAN engine. The FortiGate will simply report the member as "Down," but it will still exist in the configuration as a member.

Option D: In modern SD-WAN deployments, static routes usually point to theSD-WAN Zone(like virtual-wan-link) rather than individual physical interfaces. Therefore, you don't typically need to delete the static route to remove a single member from the zone.