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PCNSE · Question #23

A VPN connection is set up between Site-A and Site-B, but no traffic is passing in the system log of Site-A, there is an event logged as like-nego-p1-fail-psk. What action will bring the VPN up and…

The correct answer is D. Change the pre-shared key of Site-B to match the pre-shared key of Site-A. The VPN log entry ike-nego-p1-fail-psk indicates a pre-shared key mismatch, which is resolved by synchronizing the keys between sites.

Submitted by noor.lb· Apr 18, 2026Configuration Troubleshooting

Question

A VPN connection is set up between Site-A and Site-B, but no traffic is passing in the system log of Site-A, there is an event logged as like-nego-p1-fail-psk. What action will bring the VPN up and allow traffic to start passing between the sites?

Options

  • AChange the Site-B IKE Gateway profile version to match Site-A,
  • BChange the Site-A IKE Gateway profile exchange mode to aggressive mode.
  • CEnable NAT Traversal on the Site-A IKE Gateway profile.
  • DChange the pre-shared key of Site-B to match the pre-shared key of Site-A

How the community answered

(23 responses)
  • B
    9% (2)
  • C
    4% (1)
  • D
    87% (20)

Why each option

The VPN log entry `ike-nego-p1-fail-psk` indicates a pre-shared key mismatch, which is resolved by synchronizing the keys between sites.

AChange the Site-B IKE Gateway profile version to match Site-A,

While an IKE gateway profile version mismatch can cause Phase 1 failures, the specific log message `ike-nego-p1-fail-psk` points to a pre-shared key issue, not a version mismatch.

BChange the Site-A IKE Gateway profile exchange mode to aggressive mode.

Changing the IKE exchange mode to aggressive would not resolve a pre-shared key authentication failure, as indicated by the specific log message.

CEnable NAT Traversal on the Site-A IKE Gateway profile.

Enabling NAT Traversal addresses scenarios where VPN peers are behind NAT devices, and its absence would typically manifest with different log messages related to connection or encapsulation issues, not a specific pre-shared key failure.

DChange the pre-shared key of Site-B to match the pre-shared key of Site-ACorrect

The log entry `ike-nego-p1-fail-psk` explicitly signifies that the IKE Phase 1 negotiation failed due to a pre-shared key mismatch. To resolve this, the pre-shared key on Site-B's IKE Gateway profile must be updated to precisely match Site-A's, enabling successful authentication and VPN establishment.

Concept tested: Troubleshooting IKE Phase 1 pre-shared key mismatch

Source: https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/pan-os/11-0/pan-os-admin/vpn/set-up-an-ike-gateway/ike-debug-commands

Topics

#VPN Troubleshooting#IKE Phase 1#Pre-shared Key#Log Analysis

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