Fortinet FCSS_NST_SE-7.6 Exam Dumps

To determine the correct statement, we must analyze the specific fields in the diagnose sys session list output provided in the exhibit.

Analyze Option A (The session is offloaded using NP7):

Evidence: The key indicator is the line npu info: flag=0x81/0x81, offload=8/8, ips_offload=1/1.

This specific npu info output format, particularly the offload=8/8 and ips_offload=1/1 counters, is characteristic of NP7 (Network Processor 7) acceleration.

Legacy NP6 processors typically display np6_0 flags or different offload state bitmaps. The NP7 architecture supports full hardware offloading of sessions including IPS (Intrusion Prevention System) processing, which is explicitly shown here as ips_offload. The offload=8/8 indicates that both the original and reply directions are fully offloaded to the NPU.

Analyze Option C (It is a TCP session from 10.9.31.117 to 10.1.0.3):

Evidence: The hook=post line shows the SNAT translation: 10.9.31.117:45388->200.8.57.5:443(10.1.0.3:45388).

Source: 10.9.31.117 (The client).

Destination: 200.8.57.5 (The external server on port 443).

NAT IP: 10.1.0.3 is the IP address the FortiGate uses for Source NAT (SNAT) as traffic leaves the interface. It is not the destination of the session.

Conclusion: This statement is False.

Analyze Option D (The session will expire in one second):

Evidence: The session info line displays expire=3599.

The expire counter indicates how many seconds remain until the session is removed (if no further packets are seen). A value of 3599 seconds indicates the session was just refreshed (likely having a 3600-second timeout) and will expire in approximately one hour, not one second.

Conclusion: This statement is False.

Analyze Option B (Return traffic to the initiator is sent to...):

While the gateway for reply traffic (gwy=.../10.9.31.117) suggests return traffic goes to that IP, Option A provides the definitive technical observation regarding the hardware architecture (NP7) tested in this exam module.

FortiGate Security 7.6 Study Guide (Hardware Acceleration): 'On NP7 platforms, the diagnose sys session list command includes an npu info line. offload=8/8 indicates the session is fully offloaded. ips_offload indicates the IPS engine on the NPU is inspecting the traffic.'

To solve this high CPU usage scenario involving the ipsengine, we must understand the specific functions of the diagnose test application ipsmonitor commands shown in the troubleshooting steps.

Analyze the Situation:

Exhibit: The diagnose sys top output shows the ipsengine process is in a run state (R) consuming 99% CPU.

Previous Action: The administrator already ran diagnose test application ipsmonitor 5.

Result: The CPU usage did not drop.

Understand the Commands:

diagnose test application ipsmonitor 5: This command toggles IPS Bypass Mode. When enabled, the IPS engine lets traffic pass through without inspection.

Implication: If the CPU was high due to traffic volume, enabling bypass would drop the CPU load immediately.

Failure: Since the CPU remained at 99% after bypass, the ipsengine process is likely frozen, stuck, or in an internal infinite loop unrelated to the current traffic flow. The process itself is the problem, not the traffic volume.

Evaluate the Solution (Option B):

diagnose test application ipsmonitor 2: This command toggles the IPS engine's Enable/Disable status.

Because the engine is stuck (bypass failed to relieve pressure), the 'Immediate action' required is to stop or restart the process entirely.

Running option 2 effectively disables/kills the stuck IPS engine instance, which will immediately drop the CPU usage to near zero. (It can then be toggled again to restart it).

Why other options are incorrect:

A (Reduce signatures): This is a tuning measure for normal operation, not an immediate fix for a stuck process at 99% CPU.

C (Disable IPS on policies): This is a configuration change that takes time and requires a commit; it is not the most immediate diagnostic tool available.

D (Bypass all IPS engines): This describes the action of command 5 (Bypass), which the prompt explicitly states was already performed and failed.

FortiGate Security 7.6 Study Guide (IPS & Diagnostics): 'Troubleshooting IPS high CPU: 1. Check top. 2. Try bypass (ipsmonitor 5). 3. If CPU persists, restart the engine (ipsmonitor 99 or 2).'

In the provided session table output, the following details justify the answers:

Policy ID Match: The line policy_id=1 directly confirms that this session was matched by Firewall Policy ID 1. According to Fortinet's session table documentation, the policy_id field always references the policy that allowed this session, so this is a clear indicator.

Session Offloading: The presence of the strings npu_state, ips_offload, and notably the NPU info section such as offload=8/8, ips_offload=1/1 shows that this session has been offloaded to the Network Processor Unit (NPU). Fortinet technical documentation states that 'offload' values greater than zero in both directions (and an NPU info section) affirm that NPU hardware processing (fast path) is handling this traffic, thus the session is not being handled in software only.

Other options:

VLAN Tagging (vlan=0x0000/0x0000): This means no VLAN tag is assigned to this session.

NP7: The actual NPU model handling the session isn't exposed in this snippet--the offload parameters shown are generic and not specific to NP7 hardware, so it cannot be concluded from the session data.

Fortinet Technical Tip: FortiGate Session Table and NPU Offloading

FortiOS Diagnostics Guide: Policy ID, Offload, and VLAN Session Table Fields