Exam SD-WAN-Engineer Topic 3 Question 33 Discussion
Actual exam question for Palo Alto Networks's SD-WAN-Engineer exam
Question #: 33
Topic #: 3
Question #: 33
Topic #: 3
An administrator is configuring an ION 2000 device for a deployment where high availability is required, but the site has only a single internet circuit. The administrator configures a Bypass Pair (Fail-to-Wire) on ports 1 and 2 connecting the ISP modem to the legacy firewall.
If the ION device loses power, what is the resulting behavior of the traffic flowing through this Bypass Pair?
If the ION device loses power, what is the resulting behavior of the traffic flowing through this Bypass Pair?
Suggested Answer: B Vote an answer
Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation
The Bypass Pair feature on Prisma SD-WAN ION devices (specifically supported models like ION 2000, 3000, 7000, 9000) is a hardware-based resiliency mechanism known as Fail-to-Wire.
Operation: A "Bypass Pair" logically groups two physical interfaces (e.g., WAN 1 and LAN 1). Under normal operation, the ION processes traffic between them.
Power Loss: In the event of a total power loss (or critical software failure), a mechanical relay inside the device physically closes the circuit between the two ports.
Result: This creates a direct electrical connection (like a patch cable) between the upstream device (ISP Modem) and the downstream device (Legacy Firewall or Router). This ensures that internet connectivity is preserved for the site, even if the SD-WAN appliance is completely dead. This is critical for single-point-of-failure deployments where maintaining basic dial-tone is more important than SD-WAN optimization during a hardware outage.
The Bypass Pair feature on Prisma SD-WAN ION devices (specifically supported models like ION 2000, 3000, 7000, 9000) is a hardware-based resiliency mechanism known as Fail-to-Wire.
Operation: A "Bypass Pair" logically groups two physical interfaces (e.g., WAN 1 and LAN 1). Under normal operation, the ION processes traffic between them.
Power Loss: In the event of a total power loss (or critical software failure), a mechanical relay inside the device physically closes the circuit between the two ports.
Result: This creates a direct electrical connection (like a patch cable) between the upstream device (ISP Modem) and the downstream device (Legacy Firewall or Router). This ensures that internet connectivity is preserved for the site, even if the SD-WAN appliance is completely dead. This is critical for single-point-of-failure deployments where maintaining basic dial-tone is more important than SD-WAN optimization during a hardware outage.
by Jerry at Aug 16, 2026, 04:56 PM
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