NSE6_SDW_AD-7.6 Fortinet NSE 6 - SD-WAN 7.6 Enterprise Administrator Free Practice Exam Questions (2026 Updated)

One SD-WAN rule is defined with application categories as the destination → The diagnose output shows application control matches such as Microsoft.Portal, Operational.Technology, and Social.Media, confirming that SD-WAN rules are using application categories as destinations.

UDP traffic destined to the subnet 10.22.0.0/24 matches a policy route → The first entry (id=1) shows protocol=17 (UDP) with destination 10.22.0.0/24, confirming this traffic is handled by a policy route instead of an SD-WAN rule.

When referencing a zone in a static route, FortiGate’s behavior is described as:

"Referencing a zone in a static route causes FortiGate to install a static route for each member interface of the zone. This enables ECMP (Equal-Cost Multi-Path) and load balancing where supported and ensures that traffic can be steered over any valid zone member according to SD-WAN rules or standard routing."

This mechanism is fundamental to Fortinet’s implementation of SD-WAN and simplifies large, multi-interface deployments.

In the exhibits, port2 is already assigned to the SD-WAN zone named Test. An interface can only belong to a single SD-WAN zone, so before you can add both port1 and port2 into the new SD-WAN zone Underlay, you must first delete the SD-WAN Zone Test to free port2.

From the SD-WAN monitor in FortiManager:

"The SD-WAN monitor provides a summary view of the branch devices and their members. In the scenario shown, it is clear that branch2_fgt is missing SLA configuration for one member, as evidenced by the lack of performance metrics. The monitor also shows only two branches in the current topology, allowing quick assessment of branch health and configuration completeness."

This kind of visibility is vital for proactive monitoring and rapid troubleshooting in SD-WAN environments.

Hosting the hub at the MSSP centralizes installation, security, and ongoing management while each site (spoke) keeps local DIA. This can be done multi-tenant with a shared hub using a dedicated VDOM or with a fully dedicated hub per customer for stricter isolation and control, both meeting the requirement to delegate administration to the MSSP and support high inter-site traffic.

For FortiGate to steer traffic using SD-WAN rules, two foundational elements must be in place: available WAN paths (underlay links) and firewall policies that allow traffic to reach the SD-WAN interface.

Underlay links (Option B) are mandatory because SD-WAN operates by selecting among multiple WAN transports (for example, broadband, MPLS, LTE, or IPsec tunnels). These links are configured as SD-WAN members and form the physical or logical paths over which traffic can be steered. Without underlay links, SD-WAN has no paths to evaluate or select.

Firewall policies (Option E) are also mandatory because FortiGate only processes and forwards traffic that is explicitly permitted by a firewall policy. When SD-WAN is enabled, firewall policies must reference the SD-WAN interface or SD-WAN zone as the outgoing interface. If no such policy exists, traffic will not be forwarded and SD-WAN rules will never be evaluated.

Why the other options are incorrect:

Security profiles (Option A) are optional and relate to inspection, not SD-WAN steering.

Overlay links (Option C) are used in specific designs such as ADVPN or hub-and-spoke overlays, but SD-WAN can steer traffic without overlays (for example, DIA-only designs).

Traffic shaping (Option D) is not required for SD-WAN decision-making; it is an optional optimization feature.

Therefore, the two required features that must be configured before FortiGate can steer traffic according to SD-WAN rules are underlay links and firewall policies, which correspond to B and E.

The FortiManager SD-WAN overlay template preview, as described in the document, indicates:

"When the device is acting as a hub, the configuration enables the sending of ADVPN shortcut offers to spokes. This means the hub can facilitate on-demand dynamic shortcut tunnel creation between spokes, improving performance for branch-to-branch communication by bypassing the hub for inter-branch traffic after initial discovery."

Such a role is critical in scalable ADVPN topologies, enabling hub devices to optimize overlays dynamically.

The command shown in the exhibit is:

diagnose sys sdwan service 4 3

This command displays the runtime state of SD-WAN rule ID 3 on the device. The output explicitly shows:

Service(3) which confirms the SD-WAN rule being evaluated is rule number 3

Members(9) which indicates that nine SD-WAN members are associated with this rule

The listed members include multiple IPsec tunnel interfaces such as HUB1-VPN1, HUB1-VPN2, HUB1-VPN3, HUB2-VPN1, HUB2-VPN2, and HUB2-VPN3, which is characteristic of a spoke device connecting to multiple hubs in a hub-and-spoke ADVPN topology, as defined in the FCSS SD-WAN 7.6 architecture.

Option B is incorrect because, although members are listed under different interfaces, the output does not indicate SD-WAN zones. Zones are shown only in configuration output, not in this diagnostic command.

Option C is incorrect because this is not a hub device. The presence of multiple hub tunnels as SD-WAN members indicates a spoke role. Additionally, the output does not confirm the number of established ADVPN shortcuts.

Option D is incorrect because the output clearly references SD-WAN rule 3, not rule 4, and it does not state that exactly three shortcut tunnels are allowed.

Therefore, the correct conclusion is that this is a spoke device and SD-WAN rule 3 is configured with nine members, which matches option A.

In Fortinet SD-WAN, hubs should not have extensions like FortiSwitch, FortiAP, or FortiExtender installed, as these can affect hub functionality and scalability. While all device types can be included in the topology, the hubs must be "clean" FortiGate devices without such extensions to ensure proper ADVPN and overlay management.

The provisioning templates in FortiManager are designed for flexible, scalable configuration of large SD-WAN deployments. The official documentation explains:

"Template groups can consist of both system and SD-WAN templates, providing a way to apply consistent settings across multiple devices. CLI templates are evaluated and executed in order from top to bottom within the template group, which is crucial for managing dependencies. Furthermore, CLI template groups can contain both regular CLI templates and advanced (Perl-script-based) templates, allowing complex or conditional configuration logic."

This modular design streamlines large deployments by separating system, SD-WAN, and CLI logic into reusable building blocks.

In FortiOS (including FortiOS 7.6), FortiGate follows a strict and well-defined route lookup order when determining how to forward traffic. This order is critical for understanding SD-WAN behavior and is explicitly referenced in the FCSS SD-WAN curriculum.

The correct lookup sequence is:

Policy routes (Policy-Based Routing)Policy routes are evaluated first. If traffic matches a policy route, FortiGate immediately forwards the traffic according to that policy and bypasses all other routing mechanisms.

Internet Service Database (ISDB) routesIf no policy route matches, FortiGate checks ISDB routes. These routes match traffic based on Internet Services rather than destination IP prefixes.

SD-WAN rulesIf neither a policy route nor an ISDB route matches, FortiGate evaluates SD-WAN rules to determine the outgoing interface based on the configured SD-WAN strategy.

Routing table (connected, static, and dynamic routes such as BGP)If no SD-WAN rule matches, FortiGate performs a normal routing table lookup.

FIB (Forwarding Information Base)The FIB is used to forward the packet based on the selected route.

DropIf no valid route exists, the packet is dropped.

Among the options provided, only Option D correctly reflects the beginning of this sequence by placing policy routes first, followed by ISDB routes, then SD-WAN rules, and finally static routes (representing the routing table).

Therefore, the correct answer is D.

For SD-WAN deployments that span multiple regions—where most traffic is intra-region and there is no requirement for inter-region ADVPN—the best practice is to use IBGP with BGP on loopback interfaces for routing within each region and EBGP between the regions. This approach ensures robust and scalable routing, isolates regional routing domains, and enables policy control at region boundaries. BGP on loopback is preferred for its reliability and flexibility, as it enables peering that is not tied to specific physical interfaces. EBGP between regions allows each region to maintain independent routing policies and summarization, optimizing performance and manageability. By separating IBGP (intra-region) and EBGP (inter-region), you create a modular architecture that scales easily and simplifies fault isolation and troubleshooting.

When using the diagnose sys session list command, SD-WAN-specific session steering is indicated by the presence of the sdwan_service_id field in the session data. This identifier ties the session directly to a specific SD-WAN rule or service. As noted in the Fortinet documentation: “Sessions that are handled according to SD-WAN rules will include a service ID tag (sdwan_service_id) in their session listing. This allows administrators to correlate live sessions with SD-WAN policy matches for troubleshooting and visibility.” This is a crucial diagnostic tool, as it distinguishes between traffic managed by traditional routing and that explicitly controlled by SD-WAN steering logic, aiding in operational insight and troubleshooting.

In FortiOS 7.6, SD-WAN rules can steer traffic based on Internet Services, which represent predefined application and service signatures maintained by FortiGuard. Common applications such as Facebook and LinkedIn are included in the Internet Service database.

According to the FCSS SD-WAN 7.6 curriculum, when configuring an SD-WAN rule from the GUI on a standalone FortiGate device, applications are selected as destinations using the Internet service field, not by enabling a separate application destination field. The exhibit highlights the Internet service option under the Destination section, which is the correct method to match traffic for specific applications.

Option A is incorrect because there is no GUI option to enable application visibility as destinations for SD-WAN rules. Application matching is already abstracted through Internet Services.

Option C is incorrect because standalone FortiGate devices fully support application-based steering using Internet Services in SD-WAN rules.

Option D is incorrect because no additional license is required to use Internet Services in SD-WAN rules. This functionality is included in FortiOS and relies on the built-in FortiGuard Internet Service database.

Therefore, to steer Facebook and LinkedIn traffic through a specific WAN link, you must select Facebook and LinkedIn in the Internet service field, which corresponds to option B.

The log shows messages on HUB1-VPN1 where the device processes a SHORTCUT_QUERY and performs NAT hole punching (peer at 192.2.0.1:4500). This indicates that the device is acting as a hub, helping two spokes (192.2.0.1 and 10.0.3.101) establish a direct ADVPN shortcut tunnel between each other, instead of routing their traffic through the hub.

Comprehensive and Detailed 150 to 200 words of Explanation From Exact Extract of SD-WAN 7.6 Enterprise Administrator documents:

When a FortiGate device is onboarded using a Device Blueprint in FortiManager, the system automates the provisioning process by applying the linked templates and scripts as soon as the device is authorized and connects. In this scenario, the Device Blueprint includes a CLI Template named "LAN-interface" and Provisioning Templates (corp_st and LAN-interface).

According to Fortinet documentation regarding Zero-Touch Provisioning (ZTP) and Blueprint workflows, FortiManager processes the CLI script configuration as part of the initial onboarding sync. The provided CLI script explicitly contains instructions for port1, port2, and port5. Specifically, it sets port1 and port2 to mode dhcp. Even though port1 already has a manual IP address ($15.1.0.154$) used for the initial FGFM connection, the FortiManager will push the configuration defined in the template.

When FortiManager pushes a configuration change to the interface used for the FGFM tunnel (port1), it does so by updating the configuration database. Since the template specifies set mode dhcp for port1 and port2, and a specific IP range for port5 using a metadata variable (10.0.$(branch_id).254), all three ports will be updated. Consequently, they may receive new IP addresses based on DHCP assignments or variable substitution. FortiManager is capable of updating the management interface as long as the new configuration does not permanently sever the FGFM connection.