156-836 Check Point Certified Maestro Expert (CCME) R81.X Questions and Answers

The asg diag command is used for system diagnostics on both Maestro and Chassis systems. The asg diag command can perform various tests and checks on the system components, such as hardware, software, network, clock, ARP, and more. The asg diag command can help identify and troubleshoot any issues or errors that may affect the system functionality or performance.

References =

•Check Point Maestro R81.X Administration Guide, page 66, section “asg diag” 1

•Check Point Maestro R81.X Getting Started Guide, page 28, section “asg diag” 2

•Check Point Maestro Under the Hood presentation by Lari Luoma, slide 25

1: https://www.manualslib.com/manual/2031661/Check-Point-Maestro-R80-20sp.html 2: https://sc1.checkpoint.com/documents/R81/WebAdminGuides/EN/CP_R81_Maestro_GettingStarted/html_frameset.htm : https://community.checkpoint.com/fyrhh23835/attachments/fyrhh23835/maestro/1191/1/Check%20Mates%20Maestro%20under%20the%20hood%202022.pptx

MHOs process traffic in Active-Active mode, which means that both MHOs are active and share theload of the traffic that is sent to and from the SGMs. Active-Active mode provides better performance and scalability than Active-Standby mode, which only uses one MHO at a time and keeps the other as a backup. Active-Active mode also allows for faster failover and recovery in case of an MHO failure, as the surviving MHO can take over the traffic without interruption.

References

•Maestro Expert (CCME) Course - Check Point Software, page 25

•CheckPoint Certified Maestro Expert (CCME) - Skillzcafe, page 2

•Check Point Certified Maestro Expert (CCME) R81.X - Global Knowledge, page 2

The RJ-45 connectors located at the front panel of the Orchestrator MHO-170 are used for out-of-band management and serial console access. One of them is a 1Gbps RJ-45 port that provides an out-of-band interface for accessing the Orchestrator itself for configuration and management purposes. The other one is a RJ-45 serial console port that provides a command-line interface for initial setup and troubleshooting.

References

•Maestro Hyperscale Orchestrator Datasheet - Check Point Software1, page 2

•Quantum Maestro Getting Started Guide - Check Point CheckMates, page 4

HealthCheck Point (HCP) is a tool that can perform various tests and checks on the system components of the Security Group Modules (SGMs), such as hardware, software, network, clock, ARP, and more. It can also display the performance statistics of the SGMs, such as throughput, packet rate, CPU utilization, memory usage, and more. Additionally, HCP can provide a graphical representation of the Firewall topology for the Security Group, showing the connections and statuses of the SGMs and the Orchestrators. Furthermore, HCP can generate a report of the critical and informative events that occurred on the system, such as configuration changes, errors, warnings, and alerts. HCP can help identify and troubleshoot any issues or errors that may affect the system functionality or performance.

References =

•HealthCheck Point (HCP) Release Updates - Check Point Software 1

•Professional Services Healthcheck - Check Point Software 2

•HealthCheck Point - Check Point CheckMates 3

This command is used to set the number of sites in a Maestro environment, which can be either one or two. The number of sites determines the site-sync configuration and the failover policies for the Security Groups and the Security Group Members. The default value is one, and it can be changed only before the first Security Group is created.

References =

•Maestro basic setup documentation - Page 2 - Check Point CheckMates

•Check Point R81.10 for Scalable Platforms - Check Point Software

•CHECK POINT MAESTRO EXPERT

The asg perf -v command is used to find bottlenecks in the system that are affecting performance, even functionality in some cases. The asg perf -v command displays the performance statistics of the Security Group Modules (SGMs) in the Security Group, such as throughput, packet rate, CPU utilization, memory usage, and more. The asg perf -v command also shows the distribution mode and the correction rate of each SGM, which can indicate potential issues with asymmetric routing or load balancing. The asg perf -v command can help identify which SGMs are overloaded, underutilized, or misconfigured, and provide insights for troubleshooting and optimization.

References =

•Check Point Maestro R81.X Administration Guide, page 67, section “asg perf” 1

•Check Point Maestro R81.X Getting Started Guide, page 29, section “asg perf” 2

•Check Point Maestro Under the Hood presentation by Lari Luoma, slide 26

1: https://www.manualslib.com/manual/2031661/Check-Point-Maestro-R80-20sp.html 2: https://sc1.checkpoint.com/documents/R81/WebAdminGuides/EN/CP_R81_Maestro_GettingStarted/html_frameset.htm : https://community.checkpoint.com/fyrhh23835/attachments/fyrhh23835/maestro/1191/1/Check%20Mates%20Maestro%20under%20the%20hood%202022.pptx

The Management ports located on the Rear Panel of the Orchestrator MHO-140 are out-of-band interfaces that provide access to the Orchestrator itself for configuration and management purposes. They are not used for traffic distribution or connectivity to the Security Groups or the external networks. They are 1Gbps RJ-45 ports that can be connected to a switch or a router.

References

•Maestro Hyperscale Orchestrator Datasheet - Check Point Software1, page 2

•Quantum Maestro Getting Started Guide - Check Point CheckMates2, page 4

References

•Maestro R80.30SP Jumbo Hotfix Accumulator, Section: Important Notes

•Check Point Maestro R80.30SP with Gaia 3.10, Section: Known Limitations

•Check Point SNMP MIB files, Section: Revision History

References =

•[Maestro Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)]

•Maestro Dual Site configuration with a direct connection through L2 switches

•Dual Site Single Maestro Hyperscale Orchestrator Cluster (Dual Site Single MHO Redundancy)

•CHECK POINT MAESTRO EXPERT

HealthCheck Point (HCP) is a tool designed to perform a comprehensive system health check for the Maestro environment. It is intended to replace both the CPInfo tool and traditional health check scripts by providing a streamlined way to assess the health of Maestro Orchestrators (MHOs) and Security Group Members (SGMs). HCP evaluates system status, configuration, and potential issues, generating detailed reports for troubleshooting and maintenance.

Exact Extract:

“HealthCheck Point (HCP) performs a system health check and is meant to replace both a CPInfo and the health check script. It assesses the health of the Maestro environment, including MHOs and SGMs, by checking system status, configuration settings, and potential issues. HCP provides detailed reports to aid in troubleshooting and maintenance.”

—Check Point Certified Maestro Expert (CCME) R81.X Courseware, Module 4: Using theCommand Line Interface and WebUI, Lesson 4.4: System Diagnostics, page 4-15

—Check Point R81 Maestro Administration Guide, Chapter 4: Using the Command Line Interface and WebUI, Section: HealthCheck Point, page 4-12

Explanation of Options:

A. Is a self-updatable suite of tools for MHOs…: Incorrect, as HCP is not limited to MHOs and does not focus on visualizing topology or event timelines. It is a general health check tool for the entire Maestro environment.

B. Performs a system health check and is meant to replace both a CPInfo and the health check script: Correct, as HCP’s primary function is to perform system health checks, replacing CPInfo and health check scripts, as per the documentation.

C. Can be used to let you visualize the Firewall topology…: Incorrect, as HCP does not provide visualization of firewall topology or live statistics like throughput and CPU utilization.

D. Is a self-updatable suite of tools for SGMs…: Incorrect, as HCP is not exclusive to SGMs and does not include topology visualization or event timeline features.

The lldpctl command is a tool to display information about the devices discovered by the Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) on all ports of the Maestro Orchestrator and the Security Group Members. LLDP is a protocol that enables devices to exchange information about their identity, capabilities, and configuration. LLDP can help to discover the topology and connectivity of the Maestro environment.

References

•Check Point Certified Maestro Expert (CCME) R81.X Courseware, Module 4: Using the Command Line Interface and WebUI, Lesson 4.2: LLDP, page 4-9

•Check Point R81 Maestro Administration Guide, Chapter 3: Working with Security Group Modules, Section: LLDP, page 3-9

A Security Group can be compared to a Load Sharing Active / Active cluster because it consists of multiple Security Group Members that share the traffic load and provide high availability and scalability. Each Security Group Member is an active firewall that processes traffic according to the Security Group policy and synchronizes its state with other members. The Maestro Orchestrator acts as a load balancer that distributes the traffic among the Security Group Members based on their capacity and availability.

References

•Check Point Certified Maestro Expert (CCME) R81.X Courseware, Module 2: Maestro Security Groups, Lesson 2.1: Introduction to Security Groups, page 2-4

•Check Point R81 Maestro Administration Guide, Chapter 2: Maestro Security Groups, Section: Security Group Overview, page 2-3

•The Quantum Maestro Orchestrator uses the Distribution Mode to assign incoming traffic to Security Group Members.

•Reference: Working with the Distribution Mode

The g_all prefix is used to run commands globally in Expert mode on all Security Group Members of the current Security Group. For example, g_all cpstop will stop the Check Point services on all SGMs. The other prefixes are not valid for global commands in Expert mode.

References

•Check Point Certified Maestro Expert (CCME) R81.X Courseware, Module 4: Using the Command Line Interface and WebUI, Lesson 4.3: Global Commands, page 4-11

•Check Point R81 Maestro Administration Guide, Chapter 4: Using the Command Line Interface and WebUI, Section: Global Commands, page 4-9

•Global Expert Mode Commands - Check Point CheckMates

Network mode is the distribution mode that assigns packets to an SGM based solely on the packet destination IP. In this mode, the Orchestrator uses a hash function to map each destination IP to a specific SGM. This mode ensures that all packets with the same destination IP are processed by the same SGM, regardless of the source IP or port. This mode is suitable for scenarios where the destination IP is the main factor for load balancing, such as NAT or VPN.

References

•Check Point Certified Maestro Expert (CCME) R81.X Courseware, Module 2: Maestro Security Groups, Lesson 2.4: Traffic Flow, page 2-19

•Check Point R81 Maestro Administration Guide, Chapter 2: Maestro Security Groups, Section: Traffic Distribution, page 2-7

•Maestro basic setup documentation - Page 2 - Check Point CheckMates

The correct interfaces to connect to Orchestrator 1 for downlinks’ intra-orchestrator redundancy when using two Orchestrators are Port 1 in Slot 1 and Port 1 in Slot 2. This is because each slot represents a different NIC, and each port represents a different physical link. By connecting two ports from different slots, the appliance can have redundant connections to the same orchestrator, and avoid a single point of failure in case of a NIC or link failure.

References

•Check Point 156-835 Certification Flashcards | Quizlet1

•Maestro Expert (CCME) Course - Check Point Software, page 182

•Maestro Technical Training, Module 2: Maestro Security Groups and the Single Management Object, slide 163

This is the correct answer because Layer 4 distribution is not recommended when dynamic routing protocols are used in Maestro. Layer 4 distribution is a feature that adds the source and/or destination ports to the distribution equation, which can improve the load balancing among the SGMs. However, it can also cause issues with the correction layer, which is a mechanism that ensures the packets are processed by the correct SGM. Dynamic routing protocols, such as BGP or OSPF, use specific ports to exchange routing information and establish neighbor relationships. If Layer 4 distribution is enabled, it can interfere with the routing protocol packets and cause routing instability or failures.

References

•Check Point Certified Maestro Expert (CCME) R81.X Courseware, Module 2: Maestro Security Groups, Lesson 2.4: Traffic Flow, page 2-20

•Check Point R81 Maestro Administration Guide, Chapter 2: Maestro Security Groups, Section: Traffic Distribution, page 2-8

•Layer 4 Distribution - Yes or No? - Check Point CheckMates

•Support, Support Requests, Training … - Check Point Software

According to the Installing and Uninstalling a Hotfix on Quantum Maestro Orchestrators, page 1, when you apply a hotfix using gclish, the MHO distributes the hotfix to all SGMs in the SecurityGroup. The SGMs install the hotfix and reboot one by one, in ascending order of their SGM IDs. The SGMs wait for the previous SGM to finish rebooting before starting their own reboot. This ensures that there is no outage for the entire Security Group.

References = Installing and Uninstalling a Hotfix on Quantum Maestro Orchestrators, page 1; Maestro R81.10 Jumbo Hotfix install - Check Point CheckMates, page 1.

This is not one of the ways to configure a Security Group in a Dual Site environment, because load balancers are not required or supported for the inter-site communication between the Maestro Orchestrators (MHOs). The MHOs use the Site-Sync port and VLANs to synchronize the resources and connections across the sites. The three valid scenarios for Dual Site configuration are:

•Direct connectivity between remote site Orchestrators: This scenario requires two orchestrators, one for each site, and a direct connection between them using the site-sync port.

•Two orchestrators on the same site are connected to the remote site orchestrators through two different switches: This scenario requires four orchestrators, two for each site, and a connection between them using the site-sync port and two external switches that support QinQ and MTU increment.

•Two orchestrators on the same site are connected to the remote site orchestrators through one switch: This scenario also requires four orchestrators, two for each site, and a connection between them using the site-sync port and one external switch that support QinQ and MTU increment.

References =

•Maestro Dual Site configuration with a direct connection through L2 switches

•[Dual Site Single Maestro Hyperscale Orchestrator Cluster (Dual Site Single MHO Redundancy)]

•[Maestro Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)]

A Dual Site environment can include either two or four orchestrators, depending on the scenario. There are three primary scenarios for Dual Site configuration:

•Direct connectivity between remote site orchestrators: This scenario requires two orchestrators, one for each site, and a direct connection between them using the site-sync port.

•Two orchestrators on the same site are connected to the remote site orchestrators through two different switches: This scenario requires four orchestrators, two for each site, and a connection between them using the site-sync port and two external switches that support QinQ and MTU increment.

•Two orchestrators on the same site are connected to the remote site orchestrators through one switch: This scenario also requires four orchestrators, two for each site, and a connection between them using the site-sync port and one external switch that supports QinQ and MTU increment.

References =

•Maestro Dual Site configuration with a direct connection through L2 switches

•Dual Site Single Maestro Hyperscale Orchestrator Cluster (Dual Site Single MHO Redundancy)

•Maestro Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

The asg calc command is a tool to show which SGM is selected to receive traffic based on the distribution mode and the packet parameters. It takes the port number, the source IP, the destination IP, and optionally the source port and the destination port as arguments and returns the SGM ID and the hash value. For example, asg calc 1 10.0.0.1 20.0.0.2 1234 80 will show which SGM will receive the traffic from 10.0.0.1:1234 to 20.0.0.2:80 on port 1.

References

•Check Point Certified Maestro Expert (CCME) R81.X Courseware, Module 4: Using the Command Line Interface and WebUI, Lesson 4.1: asg calc, page 4-5

•Check Point R81 Maestro Administration Guide, Chapter 4: Using the Command Line Interface and WebUI, Section: asg calc, page 4-5

•asg calc - Check Point Software