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NSE4 · Question #463

What are the advantages of FSSO DC mode over polling mode?

The correct answer is C. DC agents are not required in the AD domain controllers. FSSO DC Agentless mode (often referred to as DC mode) is advantageous because it does not require FortiGate FSSO agents to be installed directly on the Active Directory domain controllers, simplifying deployment.

Submitted by deeparc· Apr 18, 2026Firewall and Authentication

Question

What are the advantages of FSSO DC mode over polling mode?

Options

  • ARedundancy in the collector agent.
  • BAllows transparent authentication.
  • CDC agents are not required in the AD domain controllers.
  • DScalability

How the community answered

(45 responses)
  • A
    7% (3)
  • B
    2% (1)
  • C
    87% (39)
  • D
    4% (2)

Why each option

FSSO DC Agentless mode (often referred to as DC mode) is advantageous because it does not require FortiGate FSSO agents to be installed directly on the Active Directory domain controllers, simplifying deployment.

ARedundancy in the collector agent.

Redundancy in the collector agent can be achieved in both DC mode and polling mode, so this is not a unique advantage of DC mode over polling mode.

BAllows transparent authentication.

Both FSSO modes (DC Agentless and Agent-based) aim to provide transparent authentication by mapping users to IP addresses; this is a general benefit of FSSO, not a specific advantage of DC mode over polling.

CDC agents are not required in the AD domain controllers.Correct

In FSSO DC Agentless mode, the FortiGate directly polls the Domain Controllers for logon events using WMI, eliminating the need to install specific Fortinet FSSO agents on each Domain Controller, which is a significant advantage over agent-based polling mode.

DScalability

While FSSO offers scalability, the primary distinguishing advantage of DC Agentless mode over agent-based polling is the reduction in administrative overhead by not requiring agent installation on DCs, rather than a unique scaling benefit.

Concept tested: FortiGate FSSO DC Agentless mode advantages

Source: https://docs.fortinet.com/document/fortigate/7.4.0/administration-guide/139268/fsso-polling-mode

Topics

#FSSO#Authentication#Active Directory#DC Agent Mode

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