156-551 Check Point Certified VSX Specialist - R81 (CCVS) Practice Questions
Prepare for 156-551 with more than an answer.
- Exam fee
- $250 USD
- Level
- Specialist
- Valid for
- 3 years
Domains covered on the exam 6
- VSX Architecture and Components20%
- VSX Installation and Configuration25%
- VSX Routing and Networking20%
- VSX High Availability and Clustering20%
- VSX Management and Optimization15%
- VSX Troubleshooting and Maintenance20%
- 1
Which two statements accurately describe the differences between a standard Security Gateway cluster and a VSX Gateway cluster? (Select TWO)
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Correct answer: A, C
A key differentiator is that VSX clusters support VSLS, where different Virtual Systems can be active on different cluster members simultaneously, providing true load sharing. Also, state synchronization in a VSX cluster is handled for each Virtual System individually, allowing for more granular failover. Standard clusters also support Load Sharing, but it's based on connections, not logical firewalls. Standard clusters use a single set of virtual IPs, whereas VSX clusters manage IPs per-VS.
- 2
A hospital is segmenting its network using a VSX Gateway. They have created a Virtual System for medical devices (VS_MED) and another for guest WiFi (VS_GUEST). A security requirement states that the guest network must be completely isolated and CANNOT have any routed path to the medical device network.
The initial design proposed a single Virtual Router to connect both Virtual Systems to a shared internet uplink. However, the security auditor rejected this design, citing the risk of misconfiguration allowing inter-VS traffic. The network team must now propose a new VSX design that architecturally prevents any possibility of traffic flowing between VS_MED and VS_GUEST within the VSX Gateway.
What is the most secure design to achieve this level of isolation?
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Correct answer: C
The most definitive way to ensure complete network isolation between Virtual Systems is to avoid any shared internal networking constructs like Virtual Routers or Switches. By assigning dedicated physical interfaces to each Virtual System, all traffic must exit the VSX Gateway physically to be routed. This forces routing decisions to be made by an external, physically separate routing device, providing the strongest possible architectural separation and preventing any possibility of internal traffic leakage due to a misconfiguration within VSX.
- 3
What is the primary benefit of the VSX Provisioning Tool (vsx_provisioning_tool) over manually creating each Virtual System in SmartConsole?
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Correct answer: D
The VSX Provisioning Tool is the vsx_provisioning_tool command. It runs from the command line of the Security Management Server or Domain Management Server (or a SmartConsole computer with -s) and adds, modifies and removes Virtual Devices (VS, VS in bridge mode, VSW, VR), their interfaces and routes, from the -o option or from an input file (-f) of commands grouped in transactions. This allows automation of VSX provisioning. It is not a SmartConsole GUI feature and does not use templates.
- 4
True or False: In a VSX VSLS cluster, it is possible to have VSID 2 active on member A and VSID 3 active on member B simultaneously.
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Correct answer: A
This statement is true and describes the fundamental principle of Virtual System Load Sharing (VSLS). In VSLS mode, the cluster actively distributes the Virtual Systems among the physical members. This allows different VSs to be active on different members at the same time, effectively sharing the overall workload across the cluster's hardware.
- 5
What does the
vsx_util upgradecommand do during a VSX major version upgrade?Show answer details
Correct answer: A
'vsx_util upgrade' runs in Expert mode on the Security Management Server (or Main Domain Management Server) and upgrades the version of the VSX Gateway / VSX Cluster object in the management database; it does not touch the gateways or take snapshots. The gateways are upgraded separately, and the change can be reverted with 'vsx_util downgrade' only if no configuration changes were made after the upgrade (R81.10 VSX Admin Guide; Installation and Upgrade Guide).
- 6
A new VSX cluster is being installed. The administrator has completed the Gaia First Time Configuration Wizard on both members. What is the next critical step that must be performed in SmartConsole to establish the VSX cluster?
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Correct answer: C
After the initial Gaia configuration, the management server needs to be made aware of the cluster members. This is done by creating a new VSX Cluster object in SmartConsole. During this object creation wizard, the administrator must initialize Secure Internal Communication (SIC) with each physical member of the cluster. This establishes the trusted connection required for policy installation and management.
- 7
A company is migrating from a physical firewall infrastructure to a single VSX Gateway. They need to replicate a DMZ environment that was previously handled by a dedicated physical firewall. The DMZ hosts web servers that need to be accessible from the internet but should not be able to initiate connections to the internal corporate network.
Which VSX components should be used to create a logically equivalent DMZ?
graph TD Internet -->|Traffic| VS_External[VS External] VS_External -->|Routed| VR[Virtual Router] VR -->|Routed| VS_DMZ[VS DMZ] VR -->|Routed| VS_Internal[VS Internal]Show answer details
Correct answer: B
The standard and most secure way to replicate a physical DMZ in VSX is to create a dedicated Virtual System for the DMZ. This VS will have its own security policy, interfaces (physical or VLAN), and routing configuration. Another separate Virtual System would be created for the internal network. Communication between the zones (Internet, DMZ, Internal) can then be controlled via a Virtual Router or external routing, with security policies on each VS enforcing the access rules.
- 8
An administrator is troubleshooting state synchronization on a VSX cluster member (R81.10). Which Expert-mode command shows the Delta Sync statistics (for example lost and retransmitted sync packets)?
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Correct answer: A
The Expert-mode command 'cphaprob syncstat' (Gaia Clish: 'show cluster statistics sync') shows the Delta Sync transport statistics (sent/received updates, lost/retransmitted packets, queue sizes), and 'cphaprob -reset syncstat' resets them (R81.10 ClusterXL Admin Guide). vsx_util has no sync sub-command; 'cphaprob -a if' shows interfaces and 'fw ctl multik stat' shows CoreXL instances.
- 9
A security architect is designing a multi-tenant VSX environment. The design requires traffic between two specific Virtual Systems, VS_A (VSID 2) and VS_B (VSID 3), to be routed internally. Which set of components is essential for this configuration?
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Correct answer: C
To achieve Layer 3 routing between Virtual Systems within a single VSX Gateway, a Virtual Router (VR) is required. Each Virtual System then connects to this VR using a special virtual interface called a Warp Link. The VR handles the routing decisions to forward traffic between the networks associated with each VS. A Virtual Switch provides only Layer 2 connectivity. A shared physical interface or bridge mode are not used for this type of internal routing.
- 10
A consultant is tasked with deploying a new Virtual System on an existing VSX R81.10 Gateway. The traffic for this new VS will arrive on physical interface eth3, tagged for VLAN 200. Which TWO of the following objects must be created and configured in SmartConsole to facilitate this? (Select TWO)
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Correct answer: A, C
You need a Virtual System object (the new virtual firewall). In its Topology you add a Regular interface on eth3 with VLAN Tag 200 (VSX names it eth3.200). For more than one VLAN or Virtual System on the same port, eth3 is marked as a VLAN Trunk on the VSX Gateway object's Physical Interfaces page. A Bond, a Virtual Router or a Virtual Switch is not required for this scenario.
You need a Virtual System object (the new virtual firewall). In its Topology you add a Regular interface on eth3 with VLAN Tag 200 (VSX names it eth3.200). For more than one VLAN or Virtual System on the same port, eth3 is marked as a VLAN Trunk on the VSX Gateway object's Physical Interfaces page. A Bond, a Virtual Router or a Virtual Switch is not required for this scenario.
